British golf star picked up a little-known award during the final round at The Open, even though they missed the cut.
British golf star Aaron Rai won a special but little-known award during the final round of this year’s Open Championship — even though he wasn’t playing.
The 31-year-old shot two rounds of 71 and finished two-over-par after the first two rounds. Unfortunately, he just missed the cut by one stroke, so he didn’t get to play during the weekend.
Rai probably hoped for a stronger showing, especially after tying for 11th place at the US Open. He also won his first major earlier this year at the PGA Championship, finishing three shots ahead of Jon Rahm and Alex Smalley.
Rahm’s performance at The Open actually affected whether Rai would pick up the award. The Rory McIlroy Award is given to the DP World Tour player with the best results across all four major golf tournaments in a season.
Rai was more than 1,000 points ahead of his closest competitor, Rahm, who needed to finish second at The Open to beat Rai’s lead. Other players like Justin Rose, Ludvig Aberg, Justin Thomas, and even Tommy Fleetwood had a chance to overtake Rai depending on how they played.
Fleetwood made a strong push on the front nine on Sunday, which could have challenged Rai’s position, but he slipped back and finished tied for fourth.
Rahm had a slim chance to win the award going into Sunday, standing three under par after three rounds and seven shots behind the leader Sam Burns. But Rahm’s hopes ended early when he made a double bogey on the first hole at Royal Birkdale.
The Open was eventually won by New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, who birdied the final hole to finish one shot ahead of Cameron Young and claim his first major title.
The Rory McIlroy Award was created in November as a tribute to McIlroy being the first European to complete golf’s career grand slam. However, McIlroy can’t win the award himself because he personally presents it to the winner.
“When I heard something was being named after me to be given to future players, it was a huge honor and very humbling,” McIlroy said at the announcement. “The DP World Tour was where my career began, and I’ve always loved playing there, especially representing Europe in the Ryder Cup.
“I’m proud to be the first European to complete the Career Grand Slam. The majors are the highest level of our sport, and I hope my success inspires other DP World Tour players to chase and achieve their dreams.
“I can’t wait to see who wins the first award in 2026. It will be a proud moment for me to present the trophy.”