The Mexico Open might not be one of the biggest events on the PGA Tour calendar but Smylie Kaufman believes Team Europe could have their next star of the future after spending time on the fairways with him this weekend.
The tournament was won in the end by Brian Campbell, who finally got himself over the line after more than 180 attempts.
However, while the playoff between Campbell and young up and comer Aldrich Potgieter caught the eye of most onlookers, there were some fine performances further down the field as well.
And according to Smylie Kaufman, there was an English golfer in Mexico who could put himself into Ryder Cup contention, if only he could putt.
Aaron Rai told he could be at the Ryder Cup if he improves his putting
English golfer Aaron Rai has been on the precipice of being a great in the game for some time now.
After getting his first PGA Tour win at the Wyndham Championship in 2024, Rai is very much on the rise in the game and continues to show consistency with his performances.
However, while impressed by Rai after spending time on the fairways with him at the Mexico Open, Smylie Kaufman has said that Rai will only get to the top if he can improve his putting.
“I was with him all day. Dude, he should have won the golf tournament. He could have been six under through seven holes. He was hitting it better than anybody. He hits a little longer than Campbell but just as good with the precision iron game and the putter and his wedge play totally let him down,” Kaufman said.
“I think he would be a great Ryder Cup player because of how well he hits it but his putting never looks good to me eye.
“I am sure he has had great putting weeks in his career. He can’t be a top 30 player in the world like he is without being a pretty good putter. He is most certainly not an elite putter, by any means, but it really let him down, down the stretch.”
Aaron Rai’s PGA Tour record
In terms of consistent performers on the PGA Tour and looking purely at making cuts, Aaron Rai is right up there in terms of making the weekend.
Rai has played in 97 events on the PGA Tour and made the cut in 71 of those. That puts Rai at over 73% of cuts made. Still, there is room for improvement and that’s where Kaufman’s comments on his putting come into play.
In comparison, a top player like Rory McIlroy has made the cut in 88% of events played, while another Englishman, Tommy Fleetwood, is up at 84%.
Still, with a big year in 2025 and now moving up 22 spots to 24th on the European side of things, there’s every chance that a few big tournaments could see him jump into Luke Donald’s thinking.
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