Aaron Rai has suggested that the way he has been treated by his fellow PGA Tour players since he won the PGA Championship in May has not changed, but did admit that there have been some changes at events.
Rai was a surprise winner at Aronimink earlier this year.
Who do you think will win the Scottish Open?
A number of big names are in the field at The Renaissance Club!
Many will remember what some players were saying about the course ahead of the tournament starting.
Aaron Rai says how his relationship with PGA Tour players has changed since he won the PGA Championship
Rory McIlroy claimed little strategy was needed off the tee. It seemed that some were expecting scoring records to be broken at the PGA Championship.
In the end, however, Aronimink proved to be a brutal test for those who failed to put their ball in the optimal spots. Meanwhile, Aaron Rai was able to shine on Sunday to secure his first major title.
It was clear that most players could not be happier for Rai. No one needed much encouragement to wax lyrical about how impressive the Englishman is in how he conducts himself.
But of course, winning a major championship elevates him onto another level. So some may have assumed that Rai would now be treated a little differently by his peers.
Interestingly, speaking ahead of the Scottish Open, Rai insisted that little has changed since his victory.
“I don’t feel a huge difference within the players, really. I think everyone has a huge amount of respect for one another,” he said.
“I think outside of that, with fans, definitely noticed more people knowing my name, I guess, and following me in some of the rounds, which has been great, and a few extra kind of media requests.
“So I think outside of the game, a little bit different. But inside of the game, not massively.”
Aaron Rai reflects on the significance of winning the Scottish Open
There is an argument that the Scottish Open this year has attracted the strongest field outside of the major championships, particularly with Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton involved.
The list of recent winners includes established stars such as Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele. Meanwhile, it has provided a stage for the likes of Aaron Rai and Chris Gotterup to kick on.
And Rai explained how important winning an event such as the Scottish Open has been in his career.
“Yeah, for me personally, the Rolex Series Events always attract some of the best fields that we have on the DP World Tour. I think this golf course demands a number of different things, and I think it can play a lot of different ways. We’ve had years where there have been a couple of days where it’s been extremely scorable. Other days, like for instance in 2020, there were two days that were extremely difficult. I think it demands a lot. It sometimes demands the scoring side of your game and sometimes asks the more difficult questions, as well, when the conditions get difficult,” he said.
How do you think Jon Rahm will get on at the Scottish Open?
“So I think kind of mixing together how strong the field is, the stature of the event, the history of the event, and also what the golf course requires, I think when you kind of come through that and are fortunate enough to win the tournament, it definitely gives you an extra layer of confidence and belief moving forwards.”
Many players in the field this week will not have had much recent experience of playing on links courses, so it is going to be very interesting to see who steps up ahead of The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
There are a number of marquee names who will be hoping to make a real statement before the final major of the year.
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