Golf champion Aaron Rai’s old form tutor remember youngster’s ‘determination’

US PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai’s old form tutor remembers him as an utterly determined youngster, who was regularly picked up by his father from school to head straight to golf practice.

Kathy Dyer, who was the golfer’s first form tutor when he started at Wolverhampton Grammar School in 2006, said the then-11-year-old was “very much the same as what he is today – very quiet, very humble, very polite, just a true gentleman”.

Rai, 31, became the first English winner of the US PGA in more than a century on Sunday, finishing three shots clear of the field to land 3.69 million dollars (£2.76 million) in prize money.

Mrs Dyer, the head of girls’ games at the school, told the Press Association: “I remember that his dad would pick him up from the sports hall, probably at break time, two or three times a week.

“And he would take him off to play golf for the rest of the day.

“When he got to the age of 16, he had to make a decision. He wanted to be a golf pro but he also wanted to continue with his education.

“So he would come in every Tuesday afternoon and he was tutored at A-level maths by our deputy head at the time, Peter Hills, in his own time.”

Rai later invited Mr Hills and his son Michael to play golf with him at a local course as a gesture of thanks.

Mrs Dyer added: “There’s a number of staff that follow golf. Aaron’s name is mentioned a lot in the staff common room.

“Obviously this morning it was huge. We’re very proud that he came to this school.”

Aaron Rai holds the trophy after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament (Matt Slocum/AP)Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. - Matt Slocum

Recalling how the then-budding golf star set a world record aged 15 with 207 consecutive 10-foot putts, his former teacher added: “I remember that was a huge thing at the time.

“Our head at the time who was a big golf fan made a huge thing about it in assembly but Aaron was still very humble, very quiet, and very, very polite.”

The school’s head, Nic Anderson, remembers interviewing Rai for a place at the school in 2006.

Mr Anderson said: “We’re incredibly proud.

“He played golf all the time. His dad was very much his first and only supporter in the early days.

“And then, as he rose through the ranks I know he had a number of coaches who influenced him.

“But I’d hope as a school, we were very supportive at the time for him to achieve what he has achieved.

“We haven’t made a big announcement this morning because as you can imagine we’re in exam season. So we haven’t had a big assembly but as soon as we have a big assembly we’ll be advertising the fact that a former student of the school has won a major.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer congratulated Rai on his achievement, posting on X: “History maker. Congratulations Aaron Rai on your extraordinary win at the @PGAChampionship, the first English golfer to win for 107 years.”