Aaron Rai wins PGA Championship. Fellow English player Lottie Woad hangs on in Cincinnati

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) — Aaron Rai shifted into high gear Sunday and pulled away from a world-class field with one amazing shot after another until he became the first English-born player in more than a century to capture the PGA Championship.

Rai, who dreamed of being a Formula 1 driver until he turned to golf as a boy, was three shots behind and approaching the turn at Aronimink Golf Club when he delivered a performance worthy of a major champion.

He made a 40-foot eagle putt on the par-5 ninth during a stretch when he one-putted seven straight greens to take the lead.

And on the closing holes when the contenders needed him to stumble, Rai holed a birdie putt of some 70 feet across the 17th green for the clincher.

The 31-year-old Rai closed with a 5-under 65.

Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Justin Rose, they all had their chances and until they were undone by untimely mistakes or failure to get good looks at birdie. McIlroy, who closed with a 69, played the par 5s in even for the week and he chopped up the reachable par-4 13th for a bogey.

Rai, who finished at 9-under 271, is the first player from England with his name on the Wanamaker Trophy since Jim Barnes in 1919, the second edition of this major and the first after World War I.

He wound up winning by three shots over 54-hole leader Alex Smalley and Rahm, who had his best finish in a major since defecting to LIV Golf at the end of 2023. Rahm shot 68.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Lottie Woad held off Haeran Ryu on a gusty Sunday afternoon at Maketewah Country Club in the Kroger Queen City Championship.

Three strokes ahead of playing partner Amanda Doherty and four ahead of Ryu entering the round, Woad closed with a 1-under 69 for a two-stroke victory. The 22-year-old English player finished at 12-under 268.

Ryu had a double bogey on the par-4 13th in a 67. Nelly Korda shot a 67 to tie for eighth at 5 under after winning in her previous two starts. She began the day nine strokes back after a third-round 72.

Woad won for the second time on the LPGA Tour, following a victory last year in the Women’s Scottish Open in her professional debut. The former Florida State star also won the European tour’s Irish Open last summer as an amateur.

Miyu Yamashita has third at 9 under after a 64.

ELGIN, S.C. (AP) — Cole Sherwood won the Colonial Life Charity Classic on Sunday for his first Korn Ferry Tour victory.

Sherwood shot a 4-under 66 to finish at 16-under 264 at The Woodcreek Club, a stroke ahead of Zac Blair (64).

Sherwood had a 64 in the third round. He played at Vanderbilt.

Kyle Westmoreland was third at 14 under after a 66.

Leonie Harm closed with a 4-under 69 for a one-shot victory over Casandra Alexander in the Amundi German Masters, winning on home soil for her first Ladies European Tour title. ... Pablo Ereno shot a 6-under 66 and won the Catalunya Challenge in a playoff with a par on the second extra hole to beat Hamish Brown on the Challenge Tour. ... Cole Anderson won the PGA Tour Americas' Diners Club Peru Open with a bogey on the first hole of a playoff with Patrick Flavin. Anderson eagled the par-5 14th in a closing 7-under 65 en route to his first tour title. Flavin shot 70 to match Anderson at 21 under. ... Gerhard Pepler closed with a 7-under 65 for a two-shot victory in the Kit Kat Cash & Carry Pro-Am on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa. ... Shiho Kuwaki closed with a 5-under 67 for a one-shot victory over Chia Yen Wu in the Sky RKB Ladies Classic on the Japan LPGA. ... Shinsil Bang rallied from 3 down with four to play and won the Doosan Match Play in 19 holes on the Korea LPGA when Eunwoo Choi bogeyed the last three holes. ... Fiona Xu of New Zealand won the Copper Rock Championship in Hurricane, Utah, on Saturday for her second career Epson Tour title. She finished with a 4-under 68 for a three-stroke victory.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Lottie Woad celebrates with teammates after winning the Queen City Championship LPGA golf tournament at Maketewah Country Club, Sunday, May 17, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Lottie Woad poses with the championship trophy after winning the Queen City Championship LPGA golf tournament at Maketewah Country Club, Sunday, May 17, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Aaron Rai, of England, waves on the 10th green during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Aronimink Golf Club, Sunday, May 17, 2026, in Newtown Square, PA. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Aaron Rai, of England, hits from the 12th tee during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Aronimink Golf Club, Sunday, May 17, 2026, in Newtown Square, PA. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Aaron Rai, of England, waves after his round on the 18th green during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Aronimink Golf Club, Sunday, May 17, 2026, in Newtown Square, PA. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Josef Newgarden took some solace in his inexplicable qualifying run. At least he has a better starting position in this year's Indianapolis 500 than last year's.

Kyle Kirkwood endured a much rougher day. His car was slow, his team was shut out of Indy's 12-car pole shootout and it became less likely he'll cut into Alex Palou's 27-point lead during next Sunday's race.

It was an abysmal afternoon for the two American drivers and others on a challenging Pole Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway because of hot temperatures, soaring track temps and and some of the windiest qualifying conditions Kirkwood could remember at the Brickyard's 2.5-mile oval.

“That’s the speed she wants to go,” Newgarden said after posting a four-lap average of 230.165 mph. ”I’m happy with the car and race trim, but that's what she had. I’m ready to go racing."

He qualified 24th — the outside of Row 8 — and it's a big improvement over last year when he was trying to become the first driver to win three consecutive 500s.

That attempt was derailed when Newgarden and his then-teammate Will Power were penalized for making unapproved changes during qualifying weekend to the rear attenuator on their cars, a safety device designed to absorb and reduce the force of impacts. Series officials made the assumption those changes gave the two Team Penske cars an aerodynamic advantage in qualifying and responded by sending drivers to the back of the 33-car starting grid, taking away their qualifying points and pit box selections and suspending their team strategists. Newgarden started 32nd with only Power behind him.

By comparison, almost anything would have been better — even on a weekend where Newgarden was the only Penske car absent from the shootout and nearly 1 mph out of the No. 12 spot.

“This place giveth and taketh,” he said. "Everyone has been working hard on the Shell team, and we’ll keep working hard until next Sunday. I’m ready to go racing.”

But for Andretti Global, not much has gone right since series officials gave each car a boost of about 100 horsepower Friday.

Each of the team's three drivers struggled in that first practice with the faster cars then waited, watched and wondered what would happen after the rainout. It wasn't good.

All three — 2022 Indy winner Marcus Ericsson, Kirkwood and 2018 Indy champ Will Power — all missed the shootout and only Ericsson, who qualified 18th at 230.667, and Power made it into the top 20. Power will start 20th after going 230.279 before the track really heated up.

Kirkwood was not as fortunate with the 23rd qualifying spot and winding up No. 26 on the grid at 229.607. Even worse, Palou managed to sneak into the pole battle despite taking the third-to-last run in Round 1 of qualifying and then went on to win his second Indy pole with an average speed of 232.248 that even surprised Palou..

All Kirkwood, Ericsson and the two former teammates — Newgarden and Power — can do now is hope they're better next Sunday in IndyCar's biggest race of the season.

“We’re good on low boost,” Kirkwood said before addressing his team's woes. "We work hard to be as fast as we possibly can. It’s unexpected, but we've got good people down there to produce fast cars. Unfortunately, today we struggled a little bit.”

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Takuma Sato, of Japan, climbs into his car during practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Ryan Hunter prepares to drive during practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Alex Palou, of Spain, drives through the third turn during qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

FILE - Kyle Kirkwood leans on a tool box as he waits for is turn during qualification for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)