LAST week’s DP World Tour Playoffs got underway with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and like the FedEx Cup Playoffs, this is the DP World Tour’s version of a season-long race-The Race to Dubai.
At stake is a share of $6 million for the top finishers, with the champion receiving a $2 million bonus. For the better part of the last two decades, the European Tour has evolved into a tour that includes stops in Asia, culminating in the Middle East, known now as the DP World Tour.
The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship featured the very best players from Europe and Asia, and some Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Tour regulars who ply both major tours in search of the biggest tournaments.
The final round saw Rory McIlroy shoot an unconscious 10-under par 62 to miss the playoff by a single stroke. After 72 holes of battling Yas Links though, it was down to Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood and Aaron Rai, both finishing at 25-under par.
World No, 4 Tommy Fleetwood was a clear crowd favorite, especially after his breakthrough win at The Tour Championship and his Ryder Cup success this year. Journeyman Aaron Rai, more known for his quirkiness, denied Fleetwood the win on the first playoff hole with a birdie. It was actually Rai’s second win over Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff, the first being at the 2020 Scottish Open. As exciting as the finish to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship was, the focus shifted to Aaron Rai’s unique set-up.
Two-glove Aaron
AFTER Aaron Rai’s win, social media was abuzz not with his stellar play, but with Rai’s distinct choices on the course. First was Rai’s signature two-gloved set-up. With 99.99 percent of golfers wearing just one glove (one the less dominant hand), it is quite rare to see players wearing gloves on both hands, moreso in the professional tours.
Tommy Gainey, a former PGA Tour player now on the Champions Tour, was the only other notable pro who wears two gloves. On why Aaron Rai wears gloves on both hands, he says it was a habit from when he was a junior. He just got used to the comfort and added grip that two gloves provides and he’s played with it since.
Old driver in the bag
BESIDES wearing two gloves, the spotlight was also put on Aaron Rai’s use of a 2019 Taylormade M6 driver. This has been a little controversial, as equipment manufacturers claim distance and forgiveness gains every time they come out with a new model. So for a professional player like Aaron Rai to be using a six-year-old driver, and to win with it, runs counter to what marketing teams claim-or does it?
Confidence and comfort will always trump minor gains in distance for professionals. That’s why it is quite common to see players using beat-up clubs that work for them. Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau famously still use their old Nike Vapor 2 iron. Henrik Stenson won the Open Championship with old Japan-only Callaway irons and an old Callaway 3 wood. Jon Rahm famously uses an old model Aldila shaft on his driver. And the list goes on.
It is quite common for professionals to opt for the tried and tested. Rory famously ditched his new Taylormade Qi35 for his older Qi10 early this year. Newer isn’t always better for those who play golf for a living. That may also apply to us mere mortals.
Personally, the longest I’ve used the same driver is 8 years and from 2017 until early this year, I’ve used the same TaylorMade M1 440cc.
It worked just fine and the only reason I replaced it was for the added forgiveness of my current gamer, a Ping G430 10k Max.
Despite new models coming out every year, tempting golfers with promises of more yards, I think driver technology really only changes significantly every 5 years or so.
Much-maligned iron covers
OF all the ‘uncool’ things in golf, iron covers seem to receive the most flak. To those who hate them, the reasons range from added time taking them off and putting them back on to the idea of covering something you hit the ground with being pointless.
For those who swear by them, it’s a case of protecting something expensive from unnecessary wear, or to stop clubs rattling. The most common argument though is that people shouldn’t care how others treat their own equipment.
The debate online on iron covers usually becomes quite heated. And as someone who uses iron covers, I really don’t understand the issue. I like my clubs looking new for as long as possible, that’s it. Aaron Rai provides a much more sentimental reason for using covers on irons he gets for free as a professional.
According to Aaron, his parents gave him expensive clubs as a junior, a Titleist 690MB set. He knew they were expensive and took some sacrifice from his parents to be able to give him the best equipment. To remind him of those times, and to show appreciation to his parents, he keeps his irons covered to this day.