Why PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai wears two gloves and uses iron covers

PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai has explained why he wears two gloves and puts covers on his irons while playing golf.

Rai wrote his name into the history books on Sunday evening as he captured the first major championship of his career by winning the 108th PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.

The 31-year-old held off competition from Jon Rahm and Matti Schmid to claim the Wanamaker Trophy, becoming the first Englishman to win the PGA Championship since 1918.

Rai picked up supporters throughout the weekend not just for his impressive performance, but also his unconventional outfit while competing at major golf competitions.

That's because the Englishman is one of very few professionals to wear two gloves, an unconventional choice as most instead only wear a glove on their non-dominant hand before removing it around the greens.

However, despite fans enjoying how Rai looks with the second glove, it's not exactly a stylistic choice, as he explained it's something he's done since he was a child.

“It started when I was 8 years old,” Rai explained.

“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 told Golf Monthly.

“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.”

Rai wears two gloves and puts covers on his irons while playing golf. Image credit: Getty

Rai later revealed that the specific gloves he wears aren't even the traditional leather gloves that other players wear as he instead chooses all-weather gloves that help his grip while keeping his hands warm.

"I used to play during the winters back in the UK so it used to be quite cold and me and my dad would always be out there regardless of the weather," he told the PGA Tour.

"My hands used to get cold very fast so then I started to wear two gloves in order to keep my hands warm. There was a man in our area who basically designed the gloves, they're not golf gloves and they were not designed for golf in the first place.

"So my dad reached out to him to get a pair of these all-weather gloves and then I think a few weeks down the line my dad forgot to put the pair of gloves in the bag and we just had a traditional leather glove that was in there and I tried to play with a leather glove on one hand and I really struggled with grip.

"So my grip shifted and kind of gone in a very short period and then I always stuck with two gloves ever since so it'd feel really strange if I was to try anything else now.

"They're actually the same type of glove and yeah whether it's cold, whether it's wet, whether it's 30 degrees I always wear them."

Why does Aaron Rai put iron covers over his golf clubs?

Rai was born and raised in Wolverhampton and has credited his dad for being a key part in his golf journey through both emotional and financial support during his childhood.

But perhaps the most important thing that Rai learned from his father was to appreciate the value of everything he owns, even when you're one of the best golf players in the world.

For this reason, the Brit has always put iron covers over his clubs, ensuring that they are always protected.

"I started from the age of 4 years old, and my dad used to pay for the equipment, pay for my memberships, my entry fees. And it wasn’t money that we really had, to be honest, but he’d always buy me the best clubs," Rai told Golf Monthly.

"When I was about seven or eight years old, [my dad] bought me a set of Titleist 690 MBs, and they were like 800-1,000 pounds back then, just for a set of clubs for a kid. I cherished them.

"When we used to go out and practice, he used to clean every single groove afterward with a pin and with baby oil.

"To protect the golf clubs, he thought it would be good to put iron covers on it. I’ve pretty much had iron covers on all of my sets ever since just to appreciate the value of what I have, and it all started with that first set.”