Cockerill makes cut at Barbasol Championship

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This article was published 09/07/2022 (1529 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Aaron Cockerill is certainly making himself right at home on the PGA Tour.

The Stony Mountain product, playing on the biggest stage for just the second time in his young career, is very much in contention heading into the weekend at the Barbasol Championship. Cockerill 30, fired a sizzling six-under 66 on Friday at the Keene Trace Golf Club in Kentucky.

Cockerill, the two-time Manitoba golfer of the year, opened the event with a 71 on Thursday, and his seven-under total through two rounds has him tied with 10 other golfers in 35th place. Fellow Canadian Adam Svensson is on top of the leaderboard at 15-under following rounds of 62-67. The 28-year-old from British Columbia is seeking his first PGA Tour victory.

Cockerill’s latest round was one to remember. He shot an incredible seven-under 29 on the front-nine Friday, with five birdies and an eagle.

“I’ve never actually shot 29 before on nine holes. So when I was standing there on the ninth I really wanted to make it,” Cockerill told the Free Press in a telephone interview. “I’ve been playing pretty good lately, but it’s just one of those things where you’re not really getting the scores. Today I made a couple 20, 30-foot putts, hit a few close. It just all kind of came together.”

Unfortunately, a torrential rain hit the course shortly after he made the turn, causing a three-hour weather delay on top of an earlier fog delay. While he birdied the 15th, things took a turn on 17 when he hit his approach shot on the par-four directly into the water.

“I just straight up chunked it,” said Cockerill. “It was only about 130 yards, a gap wedge, but it was really wet out there and I just kind of got behind it. That was a product of a long and tiring day.” He had to take a drop, chipped on and two-putted for a double-bogey.

Cockerill is a member of the DP World Tour who made his PGA Tour debut last month at the Canadian Open in Toronto. Playing on a sponsor’s exemption, he finished the tournament in a tie for 48th at one-under, collecting just over US$22,000.

He received entry into the Barbasol due to his status in Europe, which includes a second- and third-place finish earlier this year. Overall, he is 55th in DP rankings this year — the top 120 get their full tour card next season — and 331st in the official world golf rankings.

Cockerill played college golf in Idaho and turned pro in 2015, spending his first four years on the Mackenzie Tour north of the border. He headed overseas and began competing after a strong finish at qualifying school in Spain. Now he’s making a mark a little closer to home, with another PGA Tour payday in his future. Two more solid rounds and the second cheque is going to be a lot bigger than the first one.

“The course isn’t playing all that difficult, so there’s definitely birdies to be made,” said Cockerill. “It’s one of those courses where the scores will be very bunched together. So playing aggressive is how you’ll have to play (on the weekend).”

Unlike his debut last month, there’s no large gallery of family and friends following him. However, his buddy, Kyle Kelpin, is caddying for him this week while his full-time caddy is in Ireland.

Cockerill won’t have to wait long for PGA Tour event No. 3. That will come next week in California at the Barracuda Championship, which will run opposite the British Open.

“From not having any PGA Tour experience to playing three within a couple months is pretty nice,” he said.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg