Cockerill packing his sticks, heading back to Euro tour

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/02/2021 (2020 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Aaron Cockerill is looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. For the 28-year-old two-time provincial golfer of the year, that means packing up his clubs, bidding good riddance to the polar vortex and heading back overseas to try and pick up where he left off. 

Cockerill is headed back to the European Tour, coming off a terrific season in which he jumped from 764th to a career-best 381st on the World Golf Rankings. To put that in perspective, no Manitoban has been ranked that high since former PGA Tour regular Glen Hnatiuk in the early 2000s.

He’ll fly to Dubai next Saturday in advance of the March 11 start to his 2021 season at a tournament in Qatar.

“That way I can put myself through a little training camp, practise and get ready for the start of the year,” Cockerill said Friday from his Winnipeg home.

He’s been back on familiar frozen ground since the 2020 season ended on a high last November, including a fourth-place tie at the Joburg Open in Johannesburg which led to the biggest payday of his career — $62,000. He made nearly $200,000 over 18 events in 2020 — quite an increase from the $37,000 total made in 37 MacKenzie Tour- PGA Tour Canada tournaments while grinding it out in the Great White North between 2015 and 2018.

Considering every golf course within a few hundred miles of Winnipeg is currently buried in snow, Cockerill’s options have been rather limited as he’s tried to stay sharp. The best he can do is try to replicate the sport in his garage.

“I’ve got a bit of a putting green, I’ve got a mat and a net and my TrackMan, and some gym equipment. I can get quite a bit done. It takes about three hours to warm-up when it’s minus 40 outside. I’ve been able to still get a decent amount done and feel like I’m accomplishing things. Obviously it’s not quite the same,” said Cockerill.

The code red in Manitoba has also severely restricted the amount of socializing Cockerill would normally do during a stint back home.

“I’m gone most of the time so when I’m home I’m usually visiting friends and family the entire time. Obviously it’s not been the same. I’ve just been working that garage to the bone, there’s not a lot else to do. Obviously it’s weird and tough for everyone in their own way. You just have to deal with it the best way you can,” he said.

Based on where he finished in the overall standings last year, Cockerill figures he should get in between 20 and 25 tournaments this season. His goal is to do well enough to crack the top 100 and earn himself full-time status for next year, which would include playing in the biggest-money events where many of the top pros in the world tee it up.

His season will be done in blocks. For example, this first one will last about five weeks, with three tournaments in Qatar and then Kenya, at which point he plans to return to Manitoba for a few weeks. He’ll then head back for five straight events in places such as Portugal, France, England, Denmark and Germany.

Of course, ongoing COVID-19 restrictions could lead to a change of plans.

“I think we may have to re-evaluate when it’s time to come home because I don’t know if I want to sit in a hotel for however long it’s going to be, if we can’t do anything when home anyways,” said Cockerill.

At least he’ll have company on the road as fiancée Chelsea Scrivener will once again come with him and be his caddy — “until she gets sick of me,” Cockerill joked. He will also be bringing plenty of confidence with him.

“Just thinking about last year when I first started. I’ve played professionally for a while but it’s just a different level. When I first started and how naive I was to the European Tour, to where I was when I finished the year and having some pretty good results, feeling a lot more comfortable and confident with my game and that I can compete against the boys,” said Cockerill.

“I’m just very comfortable with everything, and having played a lot of the golf courses. Just so many little things that all help and add up.”

The men’s professional golf scene in Canada is healthier than ever, with the big four of Corey Conners, Adam Hadwin, MacKenzie Hughes and Nick Taylor all within the top 100 at one point last season, the first time that’s ever happened. Taylor Pendrith is also a rising star. Cockerill hopes to one day add his name to that group.

For now, his focus is a bit more short-term.

“I’m definitely excited to get out of here next Saturday. Looking at the weather over there and the golf courses over there, I’ll be quite happy to get over there,” he laughed.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg