Ryder Cup hopeful sends resounding message to Luke Donald with new career milestone

Aaron Rai's stellar season continued at the BMW PGA Championship, with the Wolverhampton native's top-five finish at Wentworth sending another reminder to Luke Donald of his Ryder Cup credentials

Aaron Rai delivered another statement of his Ryder Cup credentials after a highly impressive performance at the BMW PGA Championship.

The Wolverhampton native finished in a tie for fourth place at Wentworth on Sunday, containing an excellent season which has been highlighted by a breakthrough victory on the PGA Tour. Rai was in the running for the win in Surrey, trailing Thriston Lawrence by two as he arrived at the par-five 18th.

A perfect drive set the 29-year-old up with an outside chance of finding the green and an eagle opportunity, and rather than opting for the conservative play and locking up more prize money, Rai took dead aim for the flag. His execution was fractionally off, finding the greenside water hazard, and a closing bogey saw him finish at 17-under-par for the week.

Despite coming up just short, the result is set to propel Rai into the top 20 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time, cementing his status as one of the in-form European players in 2024.

The Englishman is higher in the rankings than Matt Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton and Nicolai Hojgaard, all of whom were part of the victorious team that defeated the Americans in Rome last year.

Rai's performances have caught the eye of captain Luke Donald, who was the first person to send a congratulatory text to Rai after he won the Wyndham Championship in August. After that breakthrough moment, Rai declared his desire to make the team for Bethpage Black next year.

“The Ryder Cup would be something amazing to be a part of, but it's also such a long way away from now,” he said. “And a lot of things can change and a lot of it is down to how well you're playing in the run-up to the Ryder Cup.

“But I think continuing to improve and seeing progression in the game and that manifesting itself in the form of results is incredibly positive and very satisfying. And if I continue to do that, then I give myself chances for other things to fall into place in the future. It would be amazing to be a part of, whether that's next year or beyond that, but it's still such a long way away.”

Billy Horschel went on to win at Wentworth for the second time, defeating Rory McIlroy and Thirston Lawrence in a dramatic playoff.

Rai had mixed feelings after walking off the 18th green, but he was pleased to continue his fine form. He said: "Amazing to be here at Wentworth this week and, overall, a really good tournament. Life could definitely be worse.

"[The emotions] are pretty mixed. I’m very pleased with the way that I played for the most part. I had a couple of opportunities on 17 and 18, but I didn’t quite pull off the shots. Tricky way to finish, but still a fantastic week."