Aaron Rai returns to the event that opened the doors to him becoming a Major Champion this week as he bids for a third Rolex Series title at the Genesis Scottish Open.
The Englishman was already a DP World Tour winner at the Hong Kong Open when he arrived in Scotland during the Covid-disrupted 2020 season.
On the final day, the Englishman signed for a wonderful 64 to set the target at 11 under and made a par from the fairway bunker on the first play-off hole to beat Tommy Fleetwood and claim his first Rolex Series win.
As a result of victory, Rai moved in to the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking but admitted there was still something of a gap between a victory in Scotland and his ability to compete on the Major stage. At the time of his win, he'd played in just one of the year's biggest events - the 2017 U.S. Open - and had felt that there was still a considerable gulf between what he was used to and the test it demanded.
"The majors are still a step away for me, but it’d be nice to play another one," he wrote in a Player Blog for the DP World Tour in 2020. "I played in the 2017 U.S Open, and I don’t think I was ready and it happened a little too early for me to compete in an event like that.
Within a year, Rai had earned his way onto the PGA TOUR. From there, his progress was steady and intentional.
He finished T16 at The Open, collected wins on both sides of the Atlantic, and continued sharpening the parts of his game needed to establish himself among the world's very best.
His first PGA TOUR victory arrived at the 2024 Wyndham Championship, followed by another Rolex Series triumph — again over Fleetwood — at the Abu Dhabi Championship.
Then came the moment that validated every step: a thrilling back‑nine surge to win the US PGA Championship, his first Major title.
Ever thoughtful, Rai is quick to acknowledge the many experiences and people that helped pave his way to success and he believes victory at The Renaissance Club six years ago was a big factor.
"I think the Scottish Open in 2020 was definitely a kick-start in my career," he said.
"On the back end of winning, I got into four events the following year on the PGA TOUR, two WGCs at the time, two Major Championships, and played well in most of those, which qualified me to the Korn Ferry finals. I was fortunate enough to do well in the Korn Ferry Finals to get a PGA TOUR card.
"The Scottish Open in 2020 definitely opened the doors to those things happening.
"My first win on the DP World Tour, which is in Hong Kong in 2018, I think being able to compete at this level and have that validation that I was able to win at this level, again in a very strong field, that was a huge thing for me.
"The Covid break was a great opportunity for me to work on certain parts of the game that needed work, and then to have a good period after Covid was massive.
"I think it's definitely been a bit of a process of kind of trying to progress step by step. At that time, winning the Scottish Open in 2020, I think I had only competed in one major before that.
"So kind of the experience of what is required in major golf, what the golf courses are like, the level that is needed and the patience and discipline that is required is something that I had hoped to learn but something I couldn't really understand at that time.
"But I think since then, since getting to the PGA TOUR at the end of 2021, playing fuller seasons over there, continuing to compete on the DP World Tour and in some of the biggest events over here, it started to bridge the gaps that were in my development before that stage and I started to qualify for majors more regularly from 2024.
"So building that side of the experience, what is required, I think it all just culminated in me feeling a little bit more comfortable on that stage and just knowing what is needed during that week [and] what is needed before those weeks in preparing yourself. "
Rai has always been meticulous in his preparation, but as he gained experience of what was needed for that step up to Majors, he realised it was scheduling time at the venue that mattered the most.
He did it before his win at the US PGA Championship, and the U.S. Open. He has already been to Royal Birkdale, but what this week does too is allow players to get used to the challenge of links golf experience.
"Some of it definitely lies in scheduling and what the weeks look like moving into those tournaments. This year, for all of the majors except the Masters, I've tried to get there a couple of weeks early and spend one or two days at the venue.
"I think, also, understanding how busy those weeks are, even from the Monday to Wednesday, there's a lot going on, a lot of crowds around, sometimes additional requests. So to learn an extremely difficult course in a very busy environment with more time demands is a lot to ask from the Monday to Wednesday, and then to try and keep your energy high from the Thursday to Sunday, feels like it was almost impossible.
"I think planning, getting there early, seeing the course, scheduling well moving into it has definitely helped just protect energy and feel prepared, or more prepared going into those weeks. We played Birkdale last Thursday, which is the first time that I had seen the course.
"The Scottish Open is a huge event in its own right, even before my personal history with the tournament. It's an event I've always hoped that I would play, and so to be here and to compete in this tournament is great.
"Looking ahead to next week, it's a great first week back into links golf, as well. It's a very different style to what we play for the majority of the year. So just kind of getting a feel for what is needed, adapting the game to the challenges that it requires, definitely lays a good foundation for next week."
