Monday, May 18, 2026 Balls & Bogeys Golf News Edition
Photo: Getty Images
Aaron Rai shocked the world. Here’s what he revealed in the process
Per Dylan Dethier/GOLF: “Aaron Rai had no idea what to do.
He’d just finished off a 1-foot putt that secured the biggest win of his professional life, having emerged from a peloton of heavyweights and left them in the dust thanks to a highlight-reel back nine that sent roars bouncing around Aronimink Golf Club. But the moment the job was finished, his first major championship secured, Rai seemed suddenly lost. He didn’t fist pump or wave. Instead he sort of wobbled in one direction, then another, and then, as the Philadelphia faithful cheered his win, Rai did what felt most natural…”
B&B POV: Two gloves, quiet confidence, and years of grinding suddenly became golf immortality. Aaron Rai is no longer the underdog nobody noticed; he’s a major champion, new born star, and part of PGA Championship history after his sweet victory at Aronimink.
Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
Scoop: How LIV Golf plans to stay alive
Per Dan Primack / Axios: “LIV Golf is better known for its financial banking than for its product, but now is asking investors for a chance to flip the script. Driving the news: Axios has learned that the league, which recently lost the support of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, will seek to raise up to $250 million from new investors…”
B&B POV: PIF ended up investing at least $5 billion in LIV. That’s enough to buy about 3 million sets of clubs, or 1 set for every 100 people – not just golfers, we’re talking about humans living on Earth. Worst investment ever?
Photo: AP Photo / Frank Franklin II
Winners, Losers, and Payouts: 2026 PGA Championship
Per Thomas Hamden / Balls & Bogeys: For about four straight hours Sunday afternoon at Aronimink, the 2026 PGA Championship felt completely unhinged.
Justin Thomas sprinted up the leaderboard early. Jon Rahm started throwing haymakers on the back nine. Rory McIlroy hovered close enough to make everybody nervous. Scottie Scheffler kept lurking without ever fully arriving. Alex Smalley was trying to hold together the biggest round of his career.
And through all of it, Aaron Rai just kept hitting fairways and making putts…
2026 PGA Championship prize money payouts:
- Aaron Rai, -9, $3,690,000
- T2 – Jon Rahm, -6, $1,804,000
- T2 – Alex Smalley, -6, $1,804,000
Click the button to view the full payouts:
Photo: Getty Images
What’s In The Bag: Aaron Rai’s Winning Setup at the 2026 PGA Championship
Per Thomas Hamden / Balls & Bogeys: Aaron Rai might officially be a major champion now, but don’t expect him to suddenly start looking like every other modern Tour pro.
The Englishman still wears two black gloves. He still keeps iron headcovers in the bag. And despite winning the PGA Championship at Aronimink, he remains a true equipment free agent — building his setup entirely around comfort, trust, and consistency instead of endorsement obligations.
The two-glove look dates back to Rai’s childhood in England, where cold weather made the extra grip feel natural. He eventually grew so comfortable with it that he never switched back. His iron covers come from his father, who meticulously cleaned and protected Rai’s clubs while Rai was growing up because replacing them was just too expensive. We get it. Golf is expensive…
Click to View Aaron’s Winning Bag >
Photo: Richard Heathcote / Getty Images
Did Michael Block just play his last PGA Championship? ‘No way on God’s green earth’
Per Nick Staves / Golfweek: “Michael Block will not make the cut at the 2026 PGA Championship, but if his detractors think they might finally be rid of him, they might have another think comin’…”
B&B POV:
Block Par·ty noun
A golf phenomenon inspired by SCPGA club pro Michael Block, in which fans rally around an unlikely hero, celebrate each of his clutch shots as a major victory, and temporarily believe he may make a cut in a PGA TOUR event or major championship, all while soaking up his Insta-fame and drinking copious cans of Truly and/or Coors Light.
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