India, May 19 -- Aaron Rai, the first Englishman since 1919 to win the PGA Championship, and only the second player of Indian heritage in the sport's history to win a major championship (Fiji's Vijay Singh was first), could well be the superhero who saves golf the way purists love it. In a world besotted by grip-it-and-rip-it golf, where length off the tee is becoming an all-consuming pursuit and drivers are the weapon of destruction for most players, the 31-year-old stands out as someone who'd prioritise the use of brain over brawn. Rai, 31, is someone who enjoys dissecting a golf course with his irons and short game. Someone who loves his irons so much that he wraps them individually in covers and is so blase about drivers that he continues to use a seven-year-old TaylorMade M6. In the last 10 years in major championships, he has become only the third player who does not average over 300 yards off the tee. Aronimink, designed by the legendary Donald Ross, looked like it would follow a similar script as bombers took control of the leaderboard on the opening day. However, as the sun baked up the turf, it became a firm and fast golf course, and Rai (9-under 271) seemed to have the best gameplan for it, winning by three shots over Jon Rahm and Alex Smalley. There were several instances in Sunday's final round that showed Rai is a different breed of champion. The most telling was what happened on the drivable, par-4 13th hole. Masters champion Rory McIlroy, one of the longest hitters in the world hit a bogey. Rai, on the other hand, never thought of going for the green and just wanted to be in the vicinity with a three-wood. That ended up in the bunker and left him with one of the most awkward and toughest shots in golf - a long bunker shot from 40 yards. But he hit it to perfection, flying it all the way to a challenging pin, and making the six-footer for birdie. Four behind the leaders after his first eight holes, Rai played the last 10 to perfection. Somewhat of an international man of mystery, Rai calls Kalyanpur, near Jalandhar, his ancestral village. He was born and brought up in England, and now resides in Jacksonville in Florida. Married to Indian professional Gaurika Bishnoi last year, the soft-spoken son of Amrik Singh and Dalvir is a picture of humility and loved by everyone on the Tour. Any professional you speak to on any Tour will acknowledge his terrific work ethic. Like most Indian achievers, family is the most important pillar for Rai, and he acknowledged that after the win that elevated him to No.15 on the rankings, and a virtual certainty in Luke Donald's next European Ryder Cup team. On Gaurika, an eight-time winner on the Women's Golf Association of India, Rai said: "She's been incredible. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I wouldn't be here without her. Both as a companion, and also as a real support system. She's a pro golfer herself. Her mindset, her advice, her thoughts, whether it's technique or the way I'm holding myself, is invaluable. She encompasses so many different sides in her opinions." On his parents, he added: "It's probably hard for me to really express everything that I feel towards them. I think I'll get way too emotional to speak. My dad, he was with me every day that I went to practice from the age of four. He quit his job and started to focus on my golf from a really young age. "My mom has been incredible as well. She worked extremely long hours to just provide for the house, especially with my dad also not working as much. She did a lot of things. Her support has been phenomenal." At the Masters, Rai told the writer that he plans to add the DP World India Championship at Delhi Golf Club in October to his schedule. That would make reigning champions of the first two majors - McIlroy and Rai - part of the $4 million tournament....