Everyone should have been happy for Aaron Rai when he won the PGA Championship.
Rory McIlroy said he’d be the most popular winner in the field, and it’s clear since Rai claimed the Wanamaker Trophy that he’s renowned in the golfing world as the nicest man in the sport. If you weren’t a fan of Rai already, you are now.
But Rai’s win didn’t happen in a vacuum. He’s entered a new pantheon in the sport’s history as a major championship winner, and who knows the effect that will have on the sport in years to come.
Viktor Hovland is among a number of golfers who should actually be pretty worried about what Rai did at Aronimink.
Aaron Rai threatened Viktor Hovland’s Ryder Cup spot
Winning a major championship is usually enough for a player to qualify for the Ryder Cup, so Rai may well have booked his spot at Adare Manor for Luke Donald’s side. And that is bound to upset the apple cart.
From 2023 to 2025, Europe’s Ryder Cup team was almost unchanged. The only change Donald made between the two events was that Rasmus Hojgaard replaced his twin brother Nicolai at Bethpage.
But with Rai now likely to be on the team, a few players on Team Europe should be looking over their shoulders. None more than Hovland.
Hovland has been a terrific Ryder Cup player for Donald. He went 3-1-1 in Rome and 1-1-1 in New York before missing out on Sunday Singles with a neck injury. But his performances this season make him a real doubt to make the team next year.
In 2026, Hovland has made just one top 10 and is coming off the back of a missed cut at the PGA Championship. The Norwegian was dubbed the next big thing in 2023 after winning four times, but now he looks lost.
Hovland has cut an unhappy figure on the range searching for his swing, and his recent results have shown no signs of improvement. If he doesn’t turn this around quickly, then he will be the man replaced by Rai in Ireland.
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