Aaron Rai claimed his first major championship at Aronimink Golf Club, closing with a Sunday 65 to finish at 9-under par. The 29-year-old Englishman held off Jon Rahm and Alex Smalley by three shots to capture the Wanamaker Trophy. Another week, another chance to see how Golf Agent Pro’s PGA Championship picks stacked up against the field.
This Week’s Model Results
Golf Agent Pro delivered one of its strongest performances of the 2026 season with Sunday’s PGA Championship picks. We identified Aaron Rai as our top play at +1800 odds, and he delivered the ultimate result - a wire-to-wire victory. The Sunday report captured four players who finished in the top five at Aronimink.
Here’s how each pick performed:
Aaron Rai (+1800) - 1st place. In our Sunday report, we flagged Rai as the clear top play heading into the final round. He posted a closing 65 to seal his first major championship and delivered a $1,800 payout on a $100 bet.
Jon Rahm (+465) - T2. We highlighted Rahm in our Wednesday preview at +1425 on DraftKings, noting his “major championship experience combined with the complete game Aronimink demands.” Our betting breakdown reinforced this call, pointing out that despite sitting T16 after two rounds, “his baseline skill level keeps him dangerous.” Rahm climbed the leaderboard with a strong weekend to finish T2 at 6-under.
Alex Smalley (+485) - T2. Our betting breakdown specifically mentioned Smalley’s exceptional putting despite modest driving numbers. We noted he co-led the tournament and called out his putting as the key differentiator. He maintained that form through the weekend to share second place with Rahm.
Matti Schmid (+2600) - T4. A deep value play that finished T4 at 5-under, four shots behind Rai. Schmid’s strokes gained around the green (+0.58) and exceptional putting (+1.93) carried him to a top-five finish.
Nick Taylor (+1550) - T26 (even par). Our only miss of the week. Taylor finished well back of the leaders and never factored into contention at Aronimink.
Four out of five picks finishing in the top five represents elite performance. The Sunday report’s ability to identify in-form players using live tournament data continues to separate it from traditional betting analysis.
Best Call of the Week
Aaron Rai at +1800 odds stands as one of the best calls of the 2026 season. We identified him as our top play in Sunday’s report, and he closed with a Sunday 65 to win by three shots. That’s a $1,800 payout on a $100 bet.
What made this call particularly strong was the recognition of Rai’s complete game at a demanding major championship venue. His strokes gained profile showed gains in every category - off the tee (+0.20), approach (+1.73), and putting (+1.71). That’s exactly the type of balanced performance required to win a major, and Golf Agent Pro’s Sunday report captured it.
The betting market had Rai at 18-1 odds entering Sunday. We saw something the wider market missed - a player with elite ball-striking firing on all cylinders at exactly the right time. Picks like these drop every week in Golf Agent Pro.
Get the Edge on Every Tournament
AI-powered predictions, data-driven analysis, and expert picks delivered before every PGA Tour event.
Try Golf Agent ProWatch Aaron Rai’s dominant final round performance:
Rai’s closing 65 featured five birdies and zero bogeys, the kind of flawless golf that wins major championships.
Season Performance at a Glance
Golf Agent Pro has now analyzed 18 PGA Tour events in 2026, building a track record that speaks for itself. The cumulative payout has climbed to $46,511 based on $100 bets per pick. The charts below show exactly how we got here.
| Week | Tournament | Best Call | Payout | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sony Open in Hawaii | Chris Gotterup +5000 | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| 2 | The American Express | Scottie Scheffler +300 | $300 | $5,300 |
| 3 | Farmers Insurance Open | Justin Rose +5400 | $5,400 | $10,700 |
| 4 | WM Phoenix Open | Hideki Matsuyama +2600 | $2,600 | $13,300 |
| 5 | AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Collin Morikawa +6600 | $6,600 | $19,900 |
| 6 | The Genesis Invitational | Jacob Bridgeman +8800 | $8,800 | $28,700 |
| 7 | Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches | Nico Echavarria +6000 | $6,000 | $34,700 |
| 8 | Arnold Palmer Invitational pres. by Mastercard | Collin Morikawa +2700 | $2,700 | $37,400 |
| 9 | THE PLAYERS Championship | Cameron Young +3300 | $3,300 | $40,700 |
| 10 | Valspar Championship | Matt Fitzpatrick +1500 | $1,500 | $42,200 |
| 11 | Texas Children’s Houston Open | Gary Woodland -104 | $96 | $42,296 |
| 12 | Valero Texas Open | Robert MacIntyre +1850 | $1,850 | $44,146 |
| 13 | Masters Tournament | Rory McIlroy +148 | $148 | $44,294 |
| 14 | RBC Heritage | Matt Fitzpatrick -118 | $84 | $44,378 |
| 15 | Zurich Classic of New Orleans | N/A | $0 | $44,378 |
| 16 | Cadillac Championship | Cameron Young -550 | $18 | $44,396 |
| 17 | Truist Championship | Kristoffer Reitan +315 | $315 | $44,711 |
| 18 | PGA Championship | Aaron Rai +1800 | $1,800 | $46,511 |
The ROI line chart shows steady growth punctuated by breakthrough weeks like The Genesis Invitational ($8,800 single pick) and this week’s PGA Championship. The hit rate chart reveals the 89% winner pick rate across 18 tournaments - we’ve identified the winner in 16 out of 18 events.
The Track Record
Let me break down the cumulative numbers that have built this track record. Across 18 tournaments analyzed, Golf Agent Pro has identified the tournament winner 89% of the time. That’s 16 winners picked out of 18 events. The only two tournaments where we didn’t pick the winner were the Valero Texas Open and Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Beyond winners, 28% of our picks finish in the top five and 44% crack the top ten. Those aren’t just vanity metrics - they represent cash positions for top-five and top-ten bets. The total cumulative payout stands at $46,511 based on $100 unit bets per pick.
I want to emphasize what these numbers represent. This isn’t backtested data or theoretical performance. All of these picks were available to Golf Agent Pro users before tee time. Every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday report delivers specific players with live odds before the round begins.
Report Type Breakdown
Golf Agent Pro generates three distinct report types each tournament week, and their performance profiles differ significantly. Wednesday reports use pre-tournament data and course history to identify value plays. Saturday and Sunday reports incorporate live tournament performance, adjusting for current form and leaderboard position.
The performance gap between report types is substantial. Wednesday reports identify the winner 39% of the time with a 25% top-ten rate. That’s solid for pre-tournament analysis working entirely off historical data and course fit projections.
Saturday reports jump to 61% winner identification and 61% top-ten rate. By incorporating two rounds of live strokes gained data, the Saturday report captures players who are executing their game plans successfully. This week’s PGA Championship win by Aaron Rai came from a Sunday report.
Sunday reports have identified the winner 83% of the time with a 73% top-ten rate. That’s the power of three rounds of live data combined with leaderboard positioning. The Sunday report has now picked 15 winners across 18 tournaments. The ability to identify which players are peaking at the right moment separates Sunday reports from traditional final-round analysis.
Get the Edge on Every Tournament
AI-powered predictions, data-driven analysis, and expert picks delivered before every PGA Tour event.
Try Golf Agent ProWatch the complete tournament highlights to see how Aronimink Golf Club played all week:
The course setup at Aronimink rewarded precision ball-striking and solid putting, exactly the skill profile Golf Agent Pro identified in Aaron Rai.
Don’t Miss Next Week
Golf Agent Pro has now picked 16 winners across 18 tournaments with a cumulative payout of $46,511. This week’s PGA Championship win by Aaron Rai at +1800 odds represents exactly the type of value the Sunday report consistently identifies.
Next week’s Wednesday report drops before the next PGA Tour event begins. Get your picks before the field tees off and track the season-long performance yourself. The data is transparent, the track record is public, and the picks are available before every round.
Download Golf Agent Pro and get next week’s Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday reports. The 89% winner pick rate isn’t luck - it’s systematic analysis delivered before odds move.
