Rai still coming to terms with emotions of major

The golfer says he is balancing the joy of that win with the need to prepare for future events.

US PGA Champion Aaron Rai has said he is still coming to terms with his sporting win. The golfer, from Wolverhampton, made history in May when he became the first Englishman to win the event in more than a century. "It truly is a dream come true, kind of goes beyond what I would have ever expected in this game, what I'd hoped to achieve," he said.

Speaking to the BBC's golf correspondent Iain Carter ahead of The Open Championship, the 31-year-old said he had to balance the emotions of becoming a major winner with focusing on future competitions. "To now almost be moving forward knowing what has happened is almost a new challenge in its own right," he said. He said he wanted to "honour and value" US PGA win, but knew he could not let that distract him.

He needed to keep up the same work ethic and discipline, he added, but also said he was "trying to learn on the fly what that balance looks like". His name has been mentioned as a potential winner of The Open, which has not been won by an Englishman on home soil since 1992. The event, at Royal Birkdale, gets underway on 16 July.

Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.