Cockerill focused on what he can control

For Aaron Cockerill, the start of this latest golf season has been anything but routine.

The 33-year-old Stony Mountain product has grown accustomed to the grind that comes with life on the DP World Tour, including bouncing between countries, chasing tournament starts and trying to string together consistent rounds against some of the top players on the planet.

But recent global events have added an entirely different layer of uncertainty to an already unpredictable profession — while also putting everything into a new perspective.

Cockerill and his family moved a couple of years ago from Winnipeg to Dubai with the idea of making life on the European circuit a bit easier, given its proximity to most events. Unfortunately, their home away from home now finds itself in the crosshairs of the ongoing conflict involving the United States and nearby Iran.

“When it all started kicking off, we didn’t really know what was going on. I’m not a war expert and hadn’t really been paying attention to what had been developing,” Cockerill told the Free Press on Tuesday.

“But, yeah, Iran is straight up attacking UAE infrastructure. They’re intercepting missiles and drones. You’ll hear noises in the sky, and it’s them intercepting a missile. There has been debris that has fallen and hit things. A missile got through and hit a fuel tank at the airport. It’s definitely not a normal situation.”

As a result, Cockerill and his family decided to leave the region for both their physical and emotional well-being. While he was teeing it up in China and India over the past two weeks, his wife, Chelsea, and their two young daughters flew back to Winnipeg.

“The airspace kept opening and closing and we didn’t want to chance anything weird happening,” he said.

“When it all started kicking off, we didn’t really know what was going on. I’m not a war expert and hadn’t really been paying attention to what had been developing.”

Cockerill has since rejoined them during a three-week break in his playing schedule.

“I’m just going to kind of go to my tournaments from here now,” he said.

Inconvenient, costly and more time-consuming? For sure. But you can’t put a price tag on comfort and safety.

“We’ve had a lot of people reaching out, thinking that, you know, we’re basically being bombed at our house,” said Cockerill.

“We’ve got lots going on.”

No kidding. Their second daughter was born just two months ago, which is another reason for some sleepless nights. And Cockerill is also trying to find his footing on tour after a disappointing 2025 season in which he lost his full-time card by finishing 120th overall. The top 115 retained unlimited status.

That means Cockerill, now in his seventh year on tour, can no longer map out his schedule months in advance — picking and choosing events like he could after a breakthrough 2024 campaign that saw him finish 49th and earn nearly $1.5 million (all dollar amounts Canadian). Instead, he’s often left waiting until a day or two before a tournament begins to see if a spot opens up.

The early results have been mixed.

Cockerill has played eight events so far this season, making four cuts and earning roughly $72,000. That leaves him 128th on the current points list.

Consistency — or a lack thereof — has been the issue.

“I don’t think any pro is going to have four great days in a row, but it’s the one or two days where you’re struggling where you need to post a score to keep you in it.”

“Frustrating at the moment, but such is golf, such is life,” said Cockerill.

Two weeks ago in China, he opened with a 66 to sit among the first-round leaders, only to follow it up with rounds of 72-75-75 and finish tied for 62nd. His best result so far is a tie for 18th in Kenya last month.

“I don’t think any pro is going to have four great days in a row, but it’s the one or two days where you’re struggling where you need to post a score to keep you in it. And I just haven’t been able to do that for the last little while,” said Cockerill.

He’s not one to offer excuses, but balancing life with a newborn — while your home base sits in a volatile region — can’t make things any easier.

“I’m working hard, trying to work through it,” said Cockerill.

“It’s funny. It doesn’t really feel like things are that much different when you’re playing good golf, but you know, a drive here, an up-and-down there, maybe some momentum. I’m just trying to get back to where I was a little while ago.”

Among his plans for the next three weeks back here in Winnipeg are a few lessons with golf coach Derek Ingram, who runs the Canadian amateur team while also serving as personal coach to PGA Tour pros Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith.

“I feel like I actually haven’t played that much or been able to get into a rhythm. Like, I’ll have a tournament, then a couple weeks off. The last two events were the first time I’ve played two in a row,” said Cockerill.

“I feel like I actually haven’t played that much or been able to get into a rhythm… The last two events were the first time I’ve played two in a row.”

“I’ll go see D.I. (Ingram) and do some grinding in the simulator at his house and kind of try to fix some things now while I have a bit of time off. It’s a good time to do it.”

Then he’ll once again say goodbye to his wife and children and head back to Europe for a lengthy stretch, where he hopes to play roughly 10 tournaments over a four-month span.

Eventually, he hopes the situation in Dubai stabilizes enough that some normalcy can return — both professionally and personally — and they can resume the life they were building overseas.

“Hopefully things have kind of settled down by that point,” said Cockerill. “But that’s still pretty far away, so who knows.”

Just like his golf game, Cockerill is trying to remain focused on what he can control.

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