Aaron Rai says his seven-year-old driver has become “almost a necessity” because modern technology offers nothing better.
Two months on from his maiden major win at the PGA Championship, Aaron Rai is aiming to become the first Englishman since Tony Jacklin in 1969 to win The Open on English soil – and the first since Nick Faldo in 1992 to lift the Claret Jug anywhere.
With firm, fast and windy conditions expected, accurate driving will be a key asset – good news for Rai, who sits 2nd in that particular statistic on the PGA Tour this season. It’s a feat the 30-year-old has achieved without relying on the latest technology. There are many quirks with his equipment, from wearing two gloves to using iron headcovers, but perhaps the biggest is the 2019 TaylorMade M6 driver that remains in Rai’s bag.
While most of the world’s best players regularly switch into the latest equipment, the world No.17 continues to trust a driver that’s now several generations old. It clearly works, helping Rai lift the Wanamaker Trophy just two months ago and now, heading into the year’s final men’s major, he insists he cannot find anything better.
“I really like the driver, but it’s almost like a necessity to stick with it just with where equipment has gone over the past few years,” Rai said at his pre-tournament press conference at Birkdale.
The 30-year-old revealed he already has replacement M6 heads waiting for when his current one eventually reaches the end of its life.
“We’ve still got a few as backup,” he explained. “Over time they get a little hot, so naturally there will come a point where I have to change into the backup heads.”
Drivers gradually become faster through repeated use and can eventually become non-conforming under the USGA’s Characteristic Time (CT) limit, meaning even Rai’s trusted M6 won’t last forever.
The obvious question is why a reigning major champion hasn’t been tempted by the generations of technology that have followed.
“The biggest thing for me is the consistency. There was a period of driver where it had a nice balance between distance, but it definitely had a little bit of forgiveness.”
TaylorMade’s move to carbon-face technology has defined its driver lineup since the Stealth launched in 2022, but Rai admits he has never found the same level of comfort with those models.
“I think since 2021 TaylorMade have gone into the carbon faces, which have felt a little bit difficult for me to adjust to.
“When I’ve tried other brands and they have the same titanium face as the M6, they don’t have the Twist Face technology, which then changes my misses and what I expect to happen with the ball.”
That combination of forgiveness, predictable ball flight and familiarity has proved impossible for Rai to replace, despite years of testing newer equipment.
His comments are a reminder that newer doesn’t always mean better. While manufacturers continue to push driver technology forward, finding a club that inspires complete confidence can be worth more than a few extra yards.
Meanwhile, life has inevitably become busier since Rai’s breakthrough victory at Aronimink, with him admitting he’s still learning how to balance the demands that come with being a major champion.
“It’s definitely a learning experience as we’re going,” he said. “Trying to plan things as well as possible in terms of commitments, practice, also just time to myself as well. I think that planning element has become more important over the last couple of months in scheduling.”
Rai says one of the biggest challenges has been making time for his family, particularly wife Gaurika, who continues to pursue her own professional golf career.
“It’s definitely challenging managing both of our careers,” he said. “It’s tricky to find that balance during this part of the season to spend time together but still manage her career as well.”
Away from the course, though, the newly crowned major champion insists little else has changed. One of the most treasured mementos from his PGA victory wasn’t even the Wanamaker Trophy, but a handwritten letter from Jack Nicklaus.
“It was kind of surreal when we opened the mail,” Rai said. “For someone like that to take the time to write to me after the PGA, it definitely shows the class of what Jack is about.”
As for the Wanamaker Trophy itself, it isn’t sitting proudly on display at Rai’s home. Instead, he revealed it has pride of place at his father’s house.
“For me and my wife, it felt like it was fitting, and it was the right place for it to be at my dad’s house, at the family house really.”
Rai’s Open championship bid gets underway at 2.53pm (BST) on Thursday, alongside Shane Lowry and Aaron Rai.