The English golfer claimed his first win on the PGA Tour at the Wyndham Championship in August and thinks that the "potentially life-changing" achievement was the pinnacle of a year of progress.

In an interview with Golf Monthly magazine, Rai said: "Look, 2024 has added a completely new layer to my career, taken it to a new level. And, to be honest, it all happened so quickly that I'm still struggling to take it in.

"Even before I won, it was guaranteed to be a very good year. Runner-up at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, a T7th at the John Deere, and a share of 4th at the Scottish Open in the two months before the Wyndham were excellent performances.

"I'd had another T4th at the Byron Nelson and another 7th-place finish in Houston in the first half of the season.

"But otherwise, I was playing good rather than great, so I couldn't have expected things to work out quite as well as they did in the second half of the year."

The 29-year-old golf star continued: "To actually win a PGA Tour event is huge. It really is potentially life-changing. It opens so many doors, and it's confirmation that my game is still moving in the right direction."

Rai's victory has gained him access to the Signature Events on the PGA Tour in 2025 and he has tailored his schedule to give himself the chance to compete at his best during the prestigious tournaments.

He said: "It makes such a big difference for planning a schedule, knowing I'm in all the Signature Events, not to mention The Masters. Augusta – wow! It's so much easier to ensure I'm not overplayed, or underplayed for that matter.

"I've already spent a lot of time planning my 2025 schedule – the timing of my weeks off, arranging runs of events where I can hopefully get into a rhythm, and picking events on courses where I've felt most comfortable in my first three years on the PGA Tour."