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Golf Monthly
Golf Monthly
Sport
Matt Cradock

This TaylorMade Driver Just Secured Its Very First Major Win Despite Being Released In 2019

Aaron Rai hits a driver off the tee and watches its flight.

Aaron Rai can now call himself a Major champion, with the Englishman plotting his way around Aronimink Golf Club perfectly to capture the PGA Championship.

Although he isn't the longest hitter in the world, averaging 291.1 yards off the tee on the PGA Tour in 2026, Rai is one of the most accurate and, consequently, him and his unique set-up was able to get round in nine-under, three strokes clear of the nearest challenger.

Being an equipment-free agent, Rai is able to use any club he wants, which is why it's surprising to see a driver from 2019 present in his set-up.

What's even more surprising, is that it's the first ever Major victory for said driver...

The driver in question is the TaylorMade M6, which was released seven-years ago and was the last in the line of TaylorMade's iconic M range, which racked up multiple Majors and prestigious titles.

Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson were just some of the names to win a Major with an M driver in the bag, but the M6 never claimed a big four championship, until now!

Using it around Philadelphia, Rai's TaylorMade M6 is set at 9° and possesses an Aldila Synergy Blue 70 TX shaft, a recent change from his Mitsubishi Diamana BB 73 TX.

Rai first introduced the driver to the bag at the start of 2019 (Image credit: Getty Images)

It's been in the bag since the beginning of 2019 and, bar a few odd changes here-and-there, it has been the driver of choice for the Englishman over that seven-year period.

The reason? Well, the M6 provides plenty of forgiveness and excellent all-round performance, with it crammed full of technology that you would find in the best TaylorMade drivers.

Interestingly, though, it's not the oldest TaylorMade driver to win on the professional circuits in 2026, as Brandt Snedeker used a TaylorMade M2 from 2017 to earn his win at the Myrtle Beach Classic.

Snedeker using his TaylorMade M2 during the final round of the Myrtle Beach Classic (Image credit: Getty Images)

Either way, the victory for Rai caught the eye of many gear nerds, as it was also a sixth straight Major title for the TaylorMade Qi10 fairway wood, as well as the first Major win that involved iron covers.

Since he was a junior, Rai has had iron headcovers on his clubs, with the PGA Championship winner stating: "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 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."

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