Aaron Rai wins first PGA Tour title at Wyndham Championship

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Aaron Rai was the last man standing in near darkness at Sunday’s 36-hole endurance test, winning his first PGA Tour title at the Wyndham Championship thanks to a back-nine blow-up by Max Greyserman.

Rai, a 29-year-old Englishman who last won in 2020 on the DP World Tour, shot a bogey-free 6-under 64 in the final round at Sedgefield Country Club to claim a two-stroke victory.

“Truly a dream come true,” said Rai who signed for a 72-hole aggregate of 18-under 262. “An amazing achievement.”

But Greyserman was in the driver seat after holing out his second shot for eagle at the 13th hole to build a seemingly commanding four-stroke lead. Not so fast as it turned out. His tee shot at the 14th hole sailed right and bounced off the cart path and over a fence out of bounds.

“If that doesn’t hit the cart path, we’re probably in a different situation,” Greyserman said. “I’m probably making 5 at worse.”

Instead, he made an eight and his lead was gone in one hole.

Greyserman, a 29-year-old Tour rookie, regained the lead at 18 under with a two-putt birdie at No. 15 but he took four putts at the par-3 16th to make a double bogey and drop back to 16 under. Greyserman had been leading the field in putting for the week. He closed in 69 and finished alone in second.

“I played good enough to run away with it,” he said. “I’m just going to walk away with I played well enough to win…I’m going to walk away with more confidence, learn from the mistakes and grow from it.”

Rai, who opened with a pair of 65s and added a third-round 68, chased Greyserman with four birdies in a row starting at the third to climb to 16 under. He tacked on a birdie at No. 12 and then struggled together five straight pars. He said he wasn’t aware of Greyserman’s collapse until the 18th tee. His caddie told him, “Just play a good hole,” and he sank an 8-foot birdie putt at the last to clinch the win. Rai has been knocking on the door with Top-20 finishes in five of his last six starts and three of them top 10s, including a T-2 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and a T-4 at the Genesis Scottish Open. This round seemed to be a longtime coming for Rai, who has made a habit of going out to the 18th green to congratulate Robert MacIntyre, the winner at the RBC Canadian Open, and Cam Davis at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.