Aaron Rai

Aaron Rai's Early Life and Background

Aaron Rai was born in Wolverhampton on March 3, 1995, and showed an early interest in golf. At the age of five, he joined Patshull Park Golf Club after beginning to hone his skills at the Three Hammers Golf Complex. He received his education at Wolverhampton Grammar School.

Rai first became familiar with golf when he hurt himself playing hockey as a child. His mother went shopping for plastic sticks so they could play safely, and when she came back with golf clubs, that's when it all started. He did, however, have a dream of being a race car driver before the age of eight, and he often wore Ferrari jumpers and T-shirts during junior golf tournaments.

Aaron Rai's Amateur Career

There is no information available about Aaron Rai’s amateur career.

Aaron Rai's Professional Career

In 2012, Rai made his professional debut. He competed on the PGA EuroPro Tour throughout 2014 and 2015. He advanced to the Challenge Tour for the 2016 season by winning the Glenfarclas Open in a playoff and being fifth on the Order of Merit.

Rai finished 18th in the 2016 Challenge Tour Order of Merit, just missing out on the European Tour. His best finish came when he tied for second place at the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge, one shot behind the winner, Alexander Bjork.

Rai had a great season in 2017 with three Challenge Tour victories. He prevailed by three strokes at the Barclays Kenya Open in March. His second victory came in May when he won Andalucía Costa del Sol Match Play 9 over Gavin Moynihan. In July, he achieved his third victory at the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge, winning by a margin of five strokes, and with this, he got an entry into the European Tour.

Rai finished the 2018 season 58th in the Order of Merit with four top-10 results in his debut season on the European Tour. His best result came in a tie for fifth at the BMW International Open, and in November, he placed eighth in the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

The opening event of the 2019 European Tour season, the Honma Hong Kong Open, was won by Rai. After three rounds, he had a six-stroke lead, but Matt Fitzpatrick put up a strong fight and finished with a 64 in the last round. After sixteen holes, Rai's lead had dropped to one shot, but Fitzpatrick bogeyed on the 17th, allowing Rai to win by one stroke even though he bogeyed the final hole.

At the Dubai Duty-Free Irish Open in September 2020, Rai had a two-shot lead over John Catlin after 54 holes but was unable to turn this into a victory, finishing second. Rai won the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open a week later, defeating Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff that put him in the world's top 100 for the first time.

Rai qualified for the Albertsons Boise Open in August 2021 as part of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals to earn a spot on the PGA Tour for the 2021–2022 season. A final-round double bogey dropped him to a tie for second place, one shot behind Greyson Sigg, despite having a one-shot lead on the last hole of the competition. Even so, Rai was able to guarantee his spot for the upcoming season with the result.

Rai competed in 25 events in 2023, missing the cut in eight of them. He finished T3 at the RBC Canadian Open and T9 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Rai's 2024 season has only just begun, with two cuts missed and two cuts made at the Sony Open in Hawaii (tied for 57th) and the Farmers Insurance Open (tied for 33rd), all of which are modest starts.

Aaron Rai's Playing Style

Although Aaron Rai has a unique and easily recognizable style of play, he stands out for wearing two gloves, a habit he has had since he was eight years old, and this separates him from many of his colleagues.

Usually, players do this because they think it will help them control their club better during a swing or because they have very sweaty hands and are attempting to avoid getting blisters on both hands.

For their lead hand, golfers typically only require one glove—a left-hand glove for a right-handed player. The main function of a golf glove is to keep your hands from slipping off the club when you swing.

The leading hand, often known as the top hand, usually doesn't need gloves. A golf swing, on the other hand, calls for far more skill and feel than a nasty baseball swing, which only emphasizes bat speed and hand-eye coordination.

Aaron Rai's Caddie

Aaron Rai’s caddie is Jason Timmis. As a professional golfer with 13 top-ten finishes on the Europro Tour, Timmis claims he has never seen anyone prepare as well as Rai does. "He's played for a long time as well; it's incredible to have his experience on the bag," Rai said regarding Timmis.

Rai is well-known for his preparation, as evidenced by viral photos of his yardage book. Rai said, "In terms of preparation, I try and see the course a couple of times during the week, nine holes on one day, nine holes on the other, just to get a feel for how it's playing, how the fairways are releasing, the speeds of the chips around the greens, the speeds of the putts."

Aaron Rai's Golf Journey

Aaron Rai's golf journey began at Patshull Park Golf Club at the age of five. By 2012, he had made his professional debut, competing on the Challenge Tour and later advancing to the European Tour. Notable victories include his first European Tour win at the Honma Hong Kong Open in 2019 and the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open in 2020. With Jason Timmis as his caddie, Rai continues to excel, competing in events like the RBC Canadian Open (T3) and the Rocket Mortgage Classic (T9).

Aaron Rai's Achievements

Aaron Rai has six professional wins, but none on the PGA Tour. He had two victories on the European Tour, one on the Asian Tour, three on the Challenge Tour, and one on the PGA EuroPro Tour. He joined the PGA Tour in 2022 and has played in 71 events, making cuts in 48 of them. He has one third-place finish, two top-5 and five top-10 finishes.

Aaron Rai's Majors

Aaron Rai's Awards and Honors

Aaron Rai has yet to win any awards or honors.

Aaron Rai's Net Worth

The net worth of Aaron Rai is estimated to be between $2 million and $5 million as of February 2024. As per PGA, his total career earnings are roughly $3.9 million He made $2.4 million in 2023 and $1.3 million in 2021. His biggest payday came in the 2023 RBC Canadian, where he finished tied for third and earned $477,000.

His second biggest payday came from the 2023 Players Championship, where he finished T19 and won $275,000; another comparable sum came from the 2023 Cadence Bank Houston Open, where he earned $273,000.

Rai has earned roughly $68,000 in the 2024 season, including $50,175 from his T33 performance at the Farmers Insurance Open.

Aaron Rai's Ventures

Aaron Rai's endorsements are as follows:

• Me and My Golf - is a well-known online platform and YouTube channel that offers golf instruction, tips, and advice to golfers of all ability levels. Piers Ward and Andy Proudman, both PGA golf professionals, run it.

• DCD London - is a company that deals in golf accessories, apparel, and equipment; they offer a lot of golf-specific products, such as clothes, bags, and accessories.

• Levelwear - is a brand that creates performance apparel for different sports. They deal in different types of golf gear designed for comfort on the course.

However, the amount of revenue generated from such endorsements is not yet known.

Aaron Rai's Assets

Aaron Rai resides in Wolverhampton, England, with his family. But an exact address or the valuation of his residence is not yet known.

Aaron Rai's Family

Amrik Singh and Dalvir Shukla are Aaron Rai's parents. In 1970, at the age of 14, his mother, Dalvir, moved to England from Kenya with her family. She had multiple jobs during her time in England. Rai's mother, who is Kenyan-Indian, had not traveled to her native country in 47 years; hence, her son's win at the 2017 Kenya Open was very meaningful, as she was present there too.

Amrik, his father, was a community worker whose family had emigrated from India and who was born in England. His grandparents are still in India. Rai's father taught him to respect and take care of his equipment, which is why he wears iron head coverings.

Rai also has a brother and two sisters, but no details are known about them.

Aaron Rai's Girlfriend

Aaron Rai is currently single.

Aaron Rai's Cars

There is no information available about Aaron Rai’s car collection or any car owned by him.