Putting enemy No. 1 for Cockerill this season But Stony Mountain’s own likes his chances to get back to full-time status By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 5:13 PM CDT Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025

It was a fitting end to a frustrating season for Manitoba’s top professional golfer.

Aaron Cockerill stood on the 18th hole Sunday at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in South Korea, knowing he likely needed an eagle on the par-five to retain his DP World Tour card.

A perfect drive left him 260 yards out, which was prime position to reach the green in two and give himself a puncher’s chance. But as he went into his backswing, a sudden 15-m.p.h. gust blew directly into his face. The shot came up short, his chip was too aggressive, and two putts later, he walked away with a par.

Adding potential injury to insult, an impatient player in the group behind him accidentally drilled him with a ball.

Yeah, that pretty much sums it up for Cockerill, who would end up 120th on the tour’s 2025 ranking list, just outside the top 115 who will have full tour status for the 2026 season.

He was two under through eight holes in Sunday’s final round of the Genesis Championship, a pace that would have been enough to keep his card. But three bogeys and seven pars over the final 10 holes sealed his fate.

“Looking back on it now, I think it was just the accumulation of a lot of pressure over the last two months. It wasn’t the last 10 holes that did it. It was the whole season,” Cockerill told the Free Press on Wednesday from his new home base in Dubai.

“It was kind of a funny year from the start. I had a foot issue, then a shoulder issue. Once things got healthy, I felt like I was playing good but just not finishing off tournaments and capitalizing. Such is golf. Such is life. Here we are.”

Cockerill had several events this year where he was at or near the top of the leaderboard through a round or two but couldn’t sustain it on the weekend. Putting was his nemesis, as he finished 152nd in putts per round this year after ranking 90th last season.

“I just wasn’t able to put four together,” he said. “I’ll hit it to 10 feet and miss. Thirty feet and three putt. Simple things like that to keep the momentum going, I was kind of finding a way to not do that and kind of kill momentum and just pile on the frustration. I was playing pretty decent golf but not getting a hell of a lot out of it.”

“Such is golf. Such is life. Here we are.”

Still, all is not lost. Cockerill earned more than $500,000 this season while competing against many of the world’s best on some of the most scenic courses across Europe and beyond. The 33-year-old from Stony Mountain has now collected roughly $3.7 million in prize money since joining the DP World Tour in 2019.

However, his road forward just got bumpier. After a career-best 49th overall finish last season, Cockerill had the luxury of choosing his schedule in 2025. Now, with only conditional status, he’ll have to rely on late openings in lower-tier, lower-purse events, which plenty of regulars opt to skip.

“This year I had whatever event I wanted basically,” he said. “Now, some things are going to be a lot more last-minute.”

A strong showing in one of those starts could quickly change his fortunes, vaulting him up the rankings and reopening doors. But the pressure to perform will be intense. Perhaps history might repeat itself. Cockerill was in a similar spot to start 2022 before a second-place finish in Kenya set him up for a breakout year.

“I had crap status at the time and basically played my way into the rest of the year,” he said. “Hopefully, I can do that again. That’s kind of the plan.”

He’ll also have another chance to regain his card through qualifying school. By finishing 120th, Cockerill goes directly to the final stage of DP World Tour Q-School, beginning Nov. 7 in Spain. About 150 players will compete for 20 full-time spots.

It will be played at a course in Spain where Cockerill has enjoyed some success, including a third-place finish a few years ago.

“There’s plenty of spots. If I play well, I like my chances there,” he said.

While his golf game wasn’t always up to par this year, life off the course has been much brighter. His wife, Chelsea, is due to give birth to their second child in late January, joining a daughter who turns three in February.

“It’s exciting and scary and all of the above,” he said.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg