Sports
US PGA Championship 2026: England’s Aaron Rai wins first major after a sensational final-day performance at Aronimink
Behind Rahm and Smalley, there was a three-way tie on five under between American two-time champion Justin Thomas, Swedish Ryder Cup star Ludvig Aberg and little-known German Matthias Schmid.
Former world number one Thomas had posted the early target after a five-under 65, then sat back in the clubhouse to watch and wait patiently – while hoping for a “little bit of help” to win.
The wind did not whip up as Thomas hoped. Yet, with the severely-sloped greens playing firm in the Pennsylvanian sun, and the thick rough continuing to be penal, scoring opportunities remained at a premium.
For almost everyone other than Rai.
All week long it felt like a strategic thinker would be the one to prevail and Rai, known on tour for his diligence, carefully plotted his way to victory.
Keeping his ball on the fairway from the tee proved to be an effective tactic – he was joint second best on Sunday and fourth for the week – which others did not find as simple.
Once Rai moved clear of the pack on seven under – thanks to birdies on the 11th and 13th – it looked like a score which would not be caught.
In what was now by far the biggest moment of his career, an emotionless Rai stayed in the zone. The experience of beating a strong field at the DP World Tour’s Abu Dhabi Championship in November was perhaps something he was able to draw on.
Another tap-in birdie on the par-five 16th put more daylight between him and the pack, before a putt from the other end of the measuring stick put victory within touching distance.
Rai somehow negotiated an impossible-looking putt to move three shots clear of his rivals. Only then did he show a flicker of emotion.
But the gentle fist pump as the fans around him went wild was telling and perfectly encapsulated how Rai has become a major champion – by keeping calm in the eye of the storm.
“I definitely wasn’t trying to hole that putt,” Rai smiled as he clutched the Wanamaker Trophy.
“The shadow of the pin gave a really nice line for the last 10 feet so that helped with the visual.
“It just tracked really well – it was amazing to see it go in.”
Cavaliers crush Pistons in game 7, punch ticket to Eastern Conference Finals against Knicks originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
When the pressure reaches its highest point, the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to find another gear.
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Facing a win-or-go-home situation Sunday night, Cleveland delivered its most complete performance of the postseason, overwhelming the top-seeded Detroit Pistons 125-94 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The fourth-seeded Cavaliers will now face the third-seeded New York Knicks, with Game 1 scheduled for Tuesday night in New York.
Cleveland entered the postseason with questions surrounding its consistency. Outside of blockbuster trade additions and occasional flashes throughout the regular season, the Cavaliers often seemed to drift through stretches of games. But Game 7 situations have become a different story altogether.
With the victory, Cleveland won its sixth consecutive Game 7, the second-longest streak in NBA history. The Cavaliers have now survived two Game 7 battles this postseason and continue proving they are at their best when everything is on the line.
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Donovan Mitchell again led the way, scoring 26 points while setting the tone offensively. But unlike previous games in the series, Cleveland received major contributions throughout the lineup.
Jarrett Allen and Sam Merrill each added 23 points, while Evan Mobley controlled the interior with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Mobley’s impact on both ends of the floor helped Cleveland seize control early and gradually wear down Detroit.
Move within four wins of NBA Finals
The victory sends Cleveland to the conference finals for the first time since 2018 and marks the franchise’s ninth appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals. It is also the Cavaliers’ deepest postseason run since LeBron James’ final season with the organization.
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For Mitchell, the moment carries additional significance. After multiple playoff disappointments earlier in his career, he now finds himself one step closer to an NBA Finals appearance.
Detroit’s season, meanwhile, ends after a remarkable turnaround campaign. The Pistons exceeded expectations and pushed the East’s top contenders throughout the playoffs, but Sunday’s stage ultimately belonged to Cleveland.
The Cavaliers spent much of the season searching for consistency.
Now they are just four wins away from the NBA Finals.
He’s going to the conference finals for the first time. And the series will begin at Madison Square Garden, a bonus for the native New Yorker.
In his ninth season, Mitchell has reached the NBA’s final four. He and the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled past the Detroit Pistons 125-94 on Sunday night in Game 7 — on the road, no less — of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Their reward is a trip to New York for Game 1 of the East finals against the Knicks on Tuesday.
Mitchell had 26 points, seven rebounds and eight assists in Sunday’s romp. And when his night was over with 4:01 remaining, he had handshakes and hugs for anyone wearing Cleveland colors. He leaned down to wrap his arms around a seated Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson, who said before the game that he wanted Mitchell to be himself in Game 7.
“It was better than Donovan Mitchell,” Atkinson said. “Is that possible? … It started with him, his defense, rebounding, and then when he gets in the paint and starts making other people better, you know, the dishes, dish-offs to our big guys, that was the key, I felt like, to the game. He had complete control of the game.”
Mitchell was brought to Cleveland in September 2022 in a trade with Utah, with the Cavaliers betting — correctly, it turned out — that he would be the last piece of their post-LeBron James rebuild and help them return to the playoffs.
They got to the first round in 2023, then lost in the second round in 2024 and 2025. This year, the conference finals await after the third-biggest road win a team has ever had in a Game 7.
Mitchell has been an All-Star in each of the last seven seasons, was one of eight players to receive at least one vote in this year’s MVP balloting and will likely be an All-NBA pick for the third time.
But there was a void — the deep playoff run.
“Couldn’t be happier for him, to make that next step,” Atkinson said. “He’s going home to New York. He kept this thing together this year when things weren’t going great. He was the beacon, the light … he carried us on the court.”
Added the Cavs’ Sam Merrill, who grew up in Utah and was a Jazz fan when Mitchell was there: “You’re not going to find a guy more happy for him than I am. But I know he wants more. We all want more.”
There were so many near-misses for Mitchell along the way. Mitchell’s Utah team wasted a 3-1 lead in the 2020 playoff bubble against Denver in the West semifinals, falling in seven games. A year later, the Jazz were up 2-0 in Round 2 against the Los Angeles Clippers, who ended up winning in six. He got hurt in Round 2 against Boston as that series fell apart for Cleveland in 2024, and last year the Cavaliers went 0-3 at home in the second round against Indiana on the way to a five-game ouster.
He was part of a No. 1 seed in 2021, part of a No. 1 seed again last year, and never got out of Round 2.
Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons in Game Seven of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena on May 17, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images/AFP
DETROIT — Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, Jarrett Allen and Sam Merrill each added 23 and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 125-94 on Sunday night in Game 7 to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
The fourth-seeded Cavaliers ousted the East’s top seed and will face the third-seeded New York Knicks. Game 1 of that series tips off Tuesday in New York.
READ: NBA Playoffs: Game 7s have been kind to Cavaliers, Pistons over the years
MITCHELL, ALLEN AND MERRILL GET THE JOB DONE IN GAME 7!@spidadmitchell: 26p, 7r, 8a@_bigjayy_: 23p, 7r@smerrill05: 23p, 5 3pm
Cavs advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018 👏 pic.twitter.com/EEV47oiANr
— NBA (@NBA) May 18, 2026
Evan Mobley had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 2018 and the ninth time in team history. It’s their deepest run since LeBron James’ final season with the franchise.
Daniss Jenkins scored 17 points, and Cade Cunningham and Duncan Robinson each finished with 13 for the Pistons, who fell one win shy of their first conference finals appearance since 2008 after forcing the deciding game with a Game 6 victory Friday night.
The Cavs dictated the pace from the opening tip and never allowed the Pistons to gain traction, then blew open a convincing Game 7 performance when Mitchell scored 15 in the third quarter.
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May 17, 2026; Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA; Aaron Rai reacts on the first green during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Aaron Rai drained a series of increasingly long putts to write himself into the history books and win his first major title Sunday at the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club.
Rai made a 40-foot eagle putt at the par-5 ninth hole to cap an uneven first nine, then pulled away with four birdies on the back and converted a remarkable 68 1/2-foot birdie at the par-3 17th to remove any doubt.
Rai, 31, is the first Englishman to win the PGA Championship since Jim Barnes in 1919. Americans had claimed this major each of the last 10 years.
Rai’s 5-under-par 65 put him 9-under 271 and three strokes ahead of Jon Rahm of Spain (68) and Alex Smalley. He had started the day in a five-way tie for second behind Smalley.
The first English major winner since Matt Fitzpatrick took the 2022 U.S. Open title, Rai was one of several less familiar names on the 54-hole leaderboard. But he was ranked No. 44 in the world entering the week, with one win on the PGA Tour and three more on the DP World Tour for his career.
He previously had not finished better than T19 at a major.
Rai’s putter was far from the only club working for him. He gave himself 4-foot birdies with tight approaches at Nos. 1 and 11, though he overshot the greens at Nos. 3 and 6 to lead to two of his three front-nine bogeys.
Everything turned when Rai lined up his eagle putt at No. 9. He left in the pin for the downhill, left-to-right putt and it tracked perfectly into the hole. The birdie at No. 11 drew Rai even with Germany’s Matti Schmid, and he became the first player to touch 7 under all week at the short par-4 13th. Rai’s tee shot went in the front-right bunker, but he got his 39-yard sand shot to stop inside 7 feet to set up birdie.
Justin Thomas went into the clubhouse at 5-under 275 at about 3:05 p.m. local time, and that held up for most of the afternoon as players battled Aronimink’s more demanding back nine.
Smalley, Rahm, Rai and Schmid each held at least a share of the lead at 6 under at some point. Smalley — seeking his first professional win of any kind — irreparably harmed his chances with a messy double bogey at the par-4 sixth and a bogey at No. 8.
Schmid, playing in the final pairing with Smalley and also winless on the PGA Tour, took the lead from him at No. 6 when he got a 19 1/2-foot birdie to fall. But his bogey on No. 10 opened the door for Rai. Rai was one of the only players who managed to tame the back nine. Northern Ireland star Rory McIlroy could not muster a late rally, posting 69 and landing at 4 under.
Reigning champion and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler had a ho-hum 69 and finished seven behind Rai at 2 under.
–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media
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Match of the Day analysis: Why Matheus Cunha’s goal should have been disallowed against Nottingham Forest
BBC Sport pundits Mark Schwarzer and Dion Dublin believe Bryan Mbeumo using his arm to trap the ball to his side to help better control Diego Dalot’s cross in the build-up to Matheus Cunha’s goal, gave Manchester United an “completely unfair advantage” in their 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
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A new champion has been crowned in the QMJHL, and with it a chance to compete for Memorial-Cup glory.
The Chicoutimi Sagueneens topped the Moncton Wildcats 5-1 on Sunday night to win the Gilles-Courteau Trophy for the third time in franchise history.
They will join the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets and Everett Silvertips, as well as the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers in the Memorial Cup tournament from May 21-31 in Kelowna, B.C.
Emmanuel Vermette had a goal and an assist for Chicoutimi in the win, who also saw Alexis Toussaint, Liam Lefebvre, Christophe Berthelot and Mavrick Lachance score for the winning side.
Utah Mammoth prospect and 2025 fourth-overall pick Caleb Desnoyers scored the lone goal for the Wildcats, who narrowly missed out at becoming back-to-back QMJHL champs following their 2025 win.
Sports
Celtic issue apology to Hearts for pitch invasion at end of Scottish Premiership title decider
Celtic have issued an apology to Hearts for the pitch invasion that followed their Scottish Premiership title decider.
The Glasgow club successfully secured another domestic crown as a 3-1 victory at Celtic Park denied Hearts after a dramatic title race settled on the final day.
The moment was marred, though, as hundreds of Celtic fans streamed on to the playing surface when Callum Osmand netted in the eighth minute of stoppage-time to put the Hoops 3-1 ahead and effectively seal the championship.
Several ran towards Hearts players and the Edinburgh club noted “deeply disturbing reports of serious physical and verbal abuse towards our players and staff, both on the pitch and elsewhere” in a statement released on Saturday evening.
The match did not restart after that point, and the SPFL subsequently confirmed that the game had ended before the “unacceptable” behaviour of the home supporters.
Police Scotland have vowed to take “robust and swift action” against anybody found to have committed criminality, and Celtic have said they will co-operate fully with the investigation.
“The club regrets that our victory over Hearts was followed by a number of individuals entering the field of play,” Celtic said in a statement. “We again emphasise that there is no justification for this behaviour which, for the vast majority of Celtic supporters, only detracts from the joy of such occasions.
“Celtic will co-operate fully with any investigation and with the SPFL in their own processes.
“We also apologise to Hearts for the situation encountered by their players and staff at the conclusion of the game, and for the fact that these events prevented them from saluting their own supporters at the end of an enthralling campaign, to which they have contributed so much.”
Aaron Rai said he owes a first major victory that was beyond his “wildest imagination” to his wife and parents as the Englishman stunned the field to win the US PGA Championship.
The 31-year-old from Wolverhampton, who is the first English winner of the event since 1919 and only the fifth European to win it, fought off a stellar field at Aronimink Golf Club with moments of pure brilliance to shoot a closing 65 and win by three shots.
A brilliant eagle at the ninth ignited a round which was highlighted by a majestic 69-foot birdie on 17 as Rai evoked Philadelphia’s Rocky-style underdog spirit.
“To be stood here is definitely outside of my wildest imagination,” Rai said.
Rai is known for wearing two gloves and using covers on his irons due to his respect for what he has – harking back to the Titleist clubs his father bought him as a child, which he used to clean with a pin and baby oil.
Born in Wolverhampton to working-class parents, he hailed the sacrifices they made to help his fledgling career.
“It’s probably hard for me to really express everything that I feel towards them,” Rai said.
“I think I’ll get way too emotional to speak. My dad was with me every day that I went to practice from the age of four, five years old. He actually quit his job and started to focus on my golf from a really young age.
“My mum has been absolutely incredible as well. She worked extremely long hours to just provide for the house really. I can’t put into words how much they’ve done in terms of the support, in terms of the care, in terms of love. I wouldn’t be here without them at all.”
Rai is married to Gaurika Bishnoi, herself a professional golfer on the Ladies European Tour, who sat at the front as he spoke to the media with the Wanamaker Trophy alongside him.
“I wouldn’t be here without her. Both as a companion, as a friend, as someone I’m sharing my life with, but also as a real support system for my game,” Rai added.
“Her mindset, her advice, her thoughts, whether it’s technique or the way I’m holding myself is absolutely invaluable.”
Rai went into the final round in a group on four under par, alongside the likes of Jon Rahm and Ludvig Aberg, two back from leader Alex Smalley.
With major champions Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele in a bunch just one behind and 21 players within four shots of the lead, it was a question of who could make their charge.
Justin Thomas shot 65 early on to set the clubhouse mark at five under as Smalley dropped back, but Rai was the man who found the answer, overcoming three early bogeys to pull clear and finish at nine under.
That left him three clear of Rahm and Smalley, while McIlroy was unable to find the final-round spark to carry him to back-to-back majors as he finished five adrift.
Rai is widely regarded as one of the nicest players in golf. Everyone who spoke in the wake of his victory pointed to his kindness and humility.
“I think a lot of that has come from my upbringing,” he said. “Golf was always a very big part of my life from a very young age, but my mum and my siblings were very fast to continue to reinforce the importance of just being a good person and trying to do the right things away from golf.”
Rai’s victory ended America’s 10-year grip on the event and he is the first English winner since the first champion, Jim Barnes.
“Extremely, extremely proud,” Rai said. “There’s a lot of incredible and historic English players over those hundred years who have gone on to achieve incredible things and had phenomenal careers.
“But to win this event and then to be the person that’s the first one to have won it in a long time from England is an amazing thing.”
Nuno Espirito Santo has admitted West Ham’s fans were right to chant that his players were “not fit to wear the shirt” after a 3-1 defeat at Newcastle left them on the brink of Premier League relegation.
The Hammers, who trail Tottenham by two points, could go down on Tuesday night if Spurs win at Chelsea, where even a draw would leave them on the brink ahead of their final game of the campaign at home to Leeds.
A section of the travelling support made their feelings abundantly clear on the final whistle, and Nuno had no problem with that.
He said: “It hurts a lot, of course. This is our job, this is our life, but the fans are right and today they show their anger and frustration and they have reasons to.
“It hurts, it hurts the boys, it hurts us, it hurts the club. That’s why this week we should finish the season with dignity and respect for the fans.
“We should do better so we can show at the London Stadium to our fans a different performance and attitude in terms of the game.“Anything is possible. Let’s wait for Tuesday. Even though it’s difficult, we’re still alive. Let’s see. There’s some hope.
“But more than anything is respect. Let’s prepare ourselves and show a better performance. This is what our fans deserve.”
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