Aaron Rai moved into the solo lead at the PGA Championship after a birdie at No. 11, putting his two-glove routine back in the spotlight on a day when the English golfer was suddenly the one everyone was chasing.
Rai, who has been a top-50 player in the world for the past two years, said the habit began when he was eight years old. He was given two gloves by the man who makes them, and he said he quickly got used to wearing both. A few weeks later, his dad forgot to put the gloves in the bag and Rai had to play with one. He said it was terrible. He could not feel the grip and has stuck with two gloves ever since.
“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,” Rai said. “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.”
The detail sets Rai apart in a sport built on routine. Golfers typically wear a glove on their less-dominant hand and take it off to putt, but Rai does the opposite of convention on nearly every shot. He removes both gloves to putt and uses only one glove for bunker shots, yet says wearing gloves on both hands gives him the better grip he needs to control the club. He has said he would be a much worse player if he tried to use only one glove now.
The habit has traveled with him from Wolverhampton, England, where he was born and raised, to Jacksonville, Florida, where he splits his time. It also fits a career that has steadily moved upward without much flash. Rai has been one of the game’s more consistent players, and the PGA Championship has given him a chance to turn a personal quirk into a contender’s calling card.
There is a practical edge to the setup, too. Rai is an ambassador for MacWet, a company that makes sports gloves designed to withstand weather conditions, and he also uses iron covers. The gear choices reflect the same thing his two gloves do: a player trying to make every small piece of equipment feel predictable when the pressure rises.
What remains is how long he can keep the lead and whether the unusual setup matters at all once the tournament tightens. For now, Rai is not just in the field; he is in front of it, and the rest of the week will test whether a childhood habit can hold up on one of golf’s biggest stages.
