A three-shot margin decided the PGA Championship after Rai pulled away on the final day in a tournament that had been tightly packed throughout.
BBC correspondent Iain Carter said no point earlier in the championship had featured a gap that large, underscoring how suddenly Rai separated from the field.
The late surge capped what Carter described as an extraordinary championship with numerous contenders, making the final winning margin more emphatic than the week had suggested.
Was Aaron Rai’s 'shock' PGA victory truly an upset, or did the data predict his major breakthrough?
Beyond the trophy, how will this first major title redefine the career of the two-gloved English golfer?
How did a course deemed 'absurdly' difficult by top pros produce such a dominant and unexpected champion?