Aaron Rai: From garden golf to the grand stage

When 22-year-old Aaron Rai, who was born in Wolverhampton and raised in Perton, steps out on the first tee in the US Open at Erin Hills next week, he will be rubbing shoulders with the cream of world golf.

World No.1 Dustin Johnson, four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy and the like will be there – and former Perton Primary School and Wolverhampton Grammar School boy Rai cannot wait to join them.

“It is very, very exciting,” he told the Express & Star. “I’m definitely looking forward to it very much.”

Rai will fly out to the USA tomorrow and will be followed next week by proud parents, Amrik Singh and Dalvir Shukla, a few days later. And it caps an incredible rise for the young professional is currently in just his second year on the European Challenge Tour – the second tier of professional golf.

Rai made a stunning breakthrough winning the Kenya Open, in March, just weeks after his 22nd birthday.

“Kenya was very special to win,” he said. “My mum was there and she was born in Kenya. It was a very special week.”

From that success, a number of consistent performances have seen him shoot up the Challenge Tour order of merit (he’s currently second) as well as the world rankings (he currently sits in 166th place).

Another victory followed in Adalucia, Spain, at the end of last month and that puts him within one more Challenge Tour victory of securing a pass through to the full European Tour. “If you win three times in a year on the Challenge Tour you are through to the European Tour for the rest of this year and next year too,” he said. “I’ve had a pretty steady and consistent level of performance this year.

“The top 15 players get on to the European Tour by right but I’ve only made a good start so far. It is only a start. I’ve only played in six tournaments and there are about 27 through the year so there’s still a long, long way to go.”

However, for the moment, that can wait as thoughts turn to Erin Hills and the challenge presented by competing in his first ever Major.

That place was secured when he won the qualifying event at the tough Walton Heath course in Surrey last week.

And that was no mean feat in itself. Around 120 golfers were vying for a place at the US Open – including many big names from the European Tour and top amateurs.

“It was 36 holes over two days and it was a bit frantic because it comes down to one or two shots as to whether you qualify,” he said. “The top 10 go on to America and I managed to win it by one shot.”

So how will he feel should he be drawn in a grouping with the likes of Dustin or Rory as he navigates the fairways of Erin Hills next week?

“It’s a big tournament if one of those were the pairing it would have to be something that you would have to embrace,” said Rai.

“You would have to try to enjoy it. You look up to these guys and I’ve followed them for years so it would be something really special.

“I’m sure there would be nerves but you would have to go out to try to enjoy it.”

And Rai will be falling back on the tried and tested method that has seen him progress from his back garden putting green at his home in Perton where the family still live – “The putting green is still there but it doesn’t look quite so new, nowadays,” he adds – through coaching sessions at the 3 Hammers complex in Coven and on to the fairways at Patshull Park as one of its youngest members.

That method is pure hard work.

“Certainly with any sport you have to work hard to achieve your ambitions,” he said. “It’s a whole lifestyle that you have to adopt.”

That has been in evidence since he was swinging a club as a four-year-old with his dad, and remembered by those who helped develop Rai’s burgeoning golfing talent of prodigal proportions.

Richard Bissell, Patshull Park’s resident professional, remembers Aaron’s work ethic well and is thrilled to see him find a place at golf’s top table.

“It is fantastic. I keep in touch with him on social media and I see him down the club quite often,” he said.

“When he’s not playing, he is usually down here, in the gym.

“It is testament to the hard work and his level-headedness over the years – he has never got too big for his boots.

“He keeps himself to himself a bit, but he’s just a nice guy and level-headed.”

And Bissell added: “He’s just like anyone from the public, no big ego thinking he is the best player in the world or anything like that. I have known him since he was five. I remember us welcoming him here, and we have seen him progress.

“I said to quite a few people to watch out for him around six months ago, and he has proved me right.

“We wish him all the best, we’ll be following him, and I’ll drop him a line before it all starts. I think he will do well.”

And Ian Bonser, the owner of the 3 Hammers complex, also recalls a young boy driven to succeed, turning into a man with immense dedication to his craft.

“Aaron has been a regular visitor here since he was about four,” he recalled.

“I’ve got a newspaper cutting from when he was a boy and it says he was born at 3.33am on the third of the third – and got his first hole-in-one on the par three course here.”

And Bonser added: “Aaron is still a regular visitor here and he is still the same lad who came in back in about 1999.

“The one thing I would says about him is he is the hardest working, most dedicated person I’ve seen. Nobody deserves to do well more.”