Aaron Rai has made quite a name for himself on the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour- and not just because he’s a winner, including his first Rolex Series victory at the Scottish Open in 2020.
The man from Wolverhampton won on the PGA Tour for the first time in 2024 at the Wyndham Championship, helping him to make the Tour Championship for the first time.
Then, in May 2026, he made four birdies in his final nine holes at the PGA Championship at Aronimink to topple a bunched leaderboard and win his first major title.
But Rai has also grabbed headlines from time to time because he wears gloves on both hands when he plays – this isn’t common and has only been seen in the case of Tommy Gainey in recent years.
So why does Rai do it? Luckily, he’s answered this before:
“It started when I was eight years old,” he explains. “I just happened to be given these two gloves – the guy who actually makes them sent a pair over – and I got into the habit of wearing them.
“Then, a few weeks down the line, my dad forgot to put the two gloves in the bag so I had to play with one. It was terrible. I couldn’t play, I couldn’t feel the grip, so I’ve always stuck with the two gloves ever since.”
Not quite as exciting as we’d have hoped, but interesting nonetheless. If you’re wondering, they are the MacWet gloves from Glenmuir.
With both hands and some irons also in covers, he has forged a way on the PGA Tour. By winning the 2024 Wyndham Championship, he secured PGA Tour membership through the 2026 season.
He shot a six-under-par 64 in the final round to take victory by two shots from Max Greyserman at Sedgefield Country Club in North Carolina. Now, he is a major champion after winning the PGA Championship by three shots in Pennsylvania.
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Rai won for the first time in his professional career in 2015, three years after turning pro, on the EuroPro Tour which is no longer with us. He won three times on the Challenge Tour, now the Hotel Planner Tour, in 2017 and won for the first time on the DP World Tour at the Hong Kong Open in 2018.
Not only has he now cracked America, but he could also have his sights set on the Ryder Cup. Becoming a regular fixture of the top 50 players in the world, continuing this form will no doubt keep European captain Luke Donald on his radar.
It is never tough to spot Rai at an event as he is the only player who wears two gloves. He will certainly have more eyes on him now, given his form and career trajectory.
What do you make of the Aaron Rai two-gloves strategy? Do you adopt the Aaron Rai two-glove strategy yourself? Tell us on X, formerly Twitter!
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