PGA Championship: England's Aaron Rai storms to maiden major with three-shot win over Jon Rahm at Aronimink Golf Club

England’s Aaron Rai stormed to a maiden major title after completing a sensational three-shot victory in the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club.

Rai went into the final round two strokes back and was three behind with 10 holes to play, before a 40-foot eagle at the par-five ninth sparked a scoring burst that pushed him up a congested leaderboard.

The world No 44 posted two birdies in a three-hole stretch from the 11th and added back-to-back gains from the 16th, including a sensational 70-foot putt at the par-three 17th, to grab control and a three-shot cushion.

A two-putt par at the last closed a final-round 65 and saw him end the week on nine under, with Rai ending a streak of 10 consecutive American winners at the PGA Championship and becoming the first English winner since Jim Barnes in 1919.

Jon Rahm finished tied-second with overnight leader Alex Smalley as he chased the third leg of the career Grand Slam, while two-time PGA champion Justin Thomas shared fourth spot alongside Ludvig Aberg and Germany's Matti Schmid.

Rory McIlroy's bid for back-to-back major titles ended five strokes back in tied-seventh with Xander Schauffele and Cameron Smith, while Kurt Kitayama jumped inside the top-10 with a round-of-the-day 63 and Scottie Scheffler ended his title defence on two under after a final-round 69.

Some 30 players were within five of the lead heading into the final round, with Rahm making the first move after posting a birdie-birdie start to pull level with Smalley on six under.

Rahm lost ground after bogeying the next, where Smalley held a 25-footer to scramble a par and remain ahead, only for a three-shot swing at the sixth seeing Smalley make double-bogey and Schmid to hole from 20 feet and card a third birdie in five holes.

Rai - playing two groups behind the leaders - was one back after an opening-hole birdie but found himself two behind after bogeys at the sixth and eighth, before his long-range eagle at the ninth pulled him back tied-second and within one of Schmid.

The German started his back nine with a bogey to hand the lead to Rai, who made a close-range birdie at the 11th and got up and down from the greenside bunker to pick up a shot at the drivable par-four 13th.

Schmid birdied the same hole to halve Rai's advantage but fell three back when the Wolverhampton golfer took control of the tournament, two-putting from 20 feet to birdie the par-five 16th and holing his longest putt of the week at the next to leave victory all but confirmed.

Rai then found the green in regulation at the par-four last and two-putted for a winning par, with his victory marking the first time in the modern era that the opening two men's majors of the year have been won by European players.

"It [winning] is very surreal," Rai said. "It has been a bit of a frustrating season so to be stood here is definitely outside of my wildest imagination. I think it is really good consistency over the last few weeks with practice. My body feels great and I have really enjoyed the course this week."

Rahm mixed four birdies with two bogey in a final-round 68 to end the week on six under, with Smalley finding an eagle-three at the 16th and cancelling out a bogey at the next with a 20-foot birdie at the last to also share second.

McIlroy boosted his hopes of a third PGA Championship victory when he followed a 10-footer to save par at the first by birdieing the second, getting him within two, only to close out the rest of his front nine in pars.

The world No 2 failed to capitalise on a 379-yard tee shot into the par-five ninth and saw his par streak ended with a bogey at the driveable 13th, where he hit a wayward three-wood into the rough and failed to find the green with his second.

McIlroy kept his slim hopes alive by rolling in a 25-foot birdie at the next but was unable to take advantage of the 16th, leaving him level-par for the week on the par-fives, with a tied-seventh finish equalling his best finish at the PGA Championship since his 2014 victory.

Scheffler went into the final day five back and outside the top-20 as he chased a fifth major in as many seasons, but the world No 1 - who can complete the career Grand Slam at the US Open next month - struggled on the greens throughout the week.