Golfers who have taught and played with newly-crowned champion Aaron Rai have praised his loyalty and gentlemanly attitude and said they believe he will go on to win more tournaments.
Wolverhampton-born Rai saw off Tommy Fleetwood in a play-off to win the Abu Dhabi Championship on Sunday, netting himself £1.5m.
Golf pro Darren Prosser taught the “dedicated” Rai at the age of about seven at 3Hammers course in Wolverhampton and said his talent was visible then.
He said he “loves to give back” and has done training sessions for young golfers, giving everyone a signed ball.
“You could see he was going to go on and play well,” said Mr Prosser, who now teaches at Kingswinford Golf Centre.
“He was very dedicated. He’s such a nice guy.
“When he was back two or three years ago I was running the county juniors set up and he came and was showing 30 or 40 kids how the hit the ball and did a Q&A after and gave everyone a signed ball.
“That’s how he is. He loves to give back.”
Rai won his first European Tour title at the Hong Kong Open in 2018 and his choice of wearing gloves on both hands was soon noticed.
He joined the US PGA Tour full-time last year and Mr Prosser said winning the Abu Dhabi tournament will really “open the door for him”.
“He can pick any world ranking tournament he likes now,” he added.
“Although he has said to me ‘I’ve never beaten you, have I?’ as he was so young when he played and I say I’m happy to keep it that way.”
Mark Butler runs the Mark Butler Golf Academy in Sedgley in the West Midlands and said Rai’s victory was a fantastic result with a fantastic prize of £1.5m.
“He’s just an amazing player, his attitude, the way he gets himself ready for each event, his practice schedules, everything he does is top class,” he said.
“I played with Aaron many years ago, and you almost knew then he was going to be one of the best players in the world.
“He had something about him. The way he conducted himself and here he is now winning £1.5m,” Mr Butler added.
To have somebody of his calibre from the West Midlands was fantastic for golf as the sport was experiencing a post-pandemic “buzz”, he added.
“Aaron’s a very approachable lad. He does a lot with local juniors, so it’s really good.
“There’s an absolute buzz about golf at the moment. From when we came out of Covid, it really started to take off and now there’s that many youngsters getting involved in the game it’s amazing to see.
“There’s still a little bit of stigma about the game, but it is becoming much, much more accessible for people to come and play…. and golf clubs now are stepping into the 20th Century and going ‘you know what actually, we need youngsters coming through’.”
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