Pandemic derails Manitoba golfer’s breakout season on European Tour

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/04/2020 (1620 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Aaron Cockerill was supposed to be teeing it up today in Kuala Lumpur, the latest stop for the globetrotting Manitoba golfer. Instead, Cockerill is back at his family home in Stony Mountain because of the pandemic, unsure if his rookie season on the European Tour will resume.

“Weird, weird times,” the 27-year-old Cockerill told the Free Press. “It’s disappointing, obviously. I was on a nice little run.”

Cockerill earned his full-time playing card last November after finishing among the top 25 in the final event of the Challenge Tour, the main feeder to the prestigious European Tour, is home to some of the world’s best golfers. It was a huge development for the University of Idaho grad who spent three years plugging away on the Mackenzie Tour — PGA Tour Canada before heading overseas.

Bigger events in 29 different countries. Much bigger prize money. And the chance to really solidify himself as the next big thing from the Keystone Province. The sky was the limit.

“This is supposed to be a little bit of a breakthrough year. I’ve been grinding it out on the smaller tours the last few years. This was a big opportunity ahead, and I don’t know now if it’s going to happen,” said Cockerill, who had played in six tournaments so far this season. He made the cut in three, earning the equivalent of more than $23,000 CDN. To put that in perspective, Cockerill played in 38 career Mackenzie Tour events, making the cut in 23 and earning just over $37,000 CDN.

“I feel just terrible for him. A world schedule, have a chance to make great money and really move up the world rankings and — boom — the rug’s been pulled out from under him,” said Derek Ingram, a fellow Manitoban and head coach of the men’s national amateur golf team.

Cockerill is looking at this unexpected break as a chance to reconnect with family and friends after a whirlwind year spent far away.

“There’s people that have it a lot worse. It is what it is. Just have to deal with it and enjoy the time at home,” he said. “I don’t get a whole lot of that.”

Cockerill had just finished his second round of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters on March 6, missing the cut after consecutive rounds of 72, when news hit that the tour was on the verge of shutting down. The next two events, set for Kenya and India, were being postponed because of the rapidly spreading coronavirus, which had yet to really establish itself in North America.

And so he immediately booked a flight back to Winnipeg, arriving on March 8. Days later, the NBA, NHL and other major sports leagues followed suit in announcing a pause, with travel restrictions and border closures quickly following.

“I definitely got home at a good time,” he said.

All European Tour events until the end June have been scrubbed, with the BMW International Open in Munich still set for June 25-28, but Cockerill expects things to be pushed back even further.

“They’ve laid out some crazy ideas (to resume play),” he said. One scenario would involve playing two tournaments without spectators in the same week, one running Monday through Wednesday, the next Thursday to Sunday, in order to catch up while also satisfying a lucrative television broadcast agreement.

Cockerill said his biggest worry is what happens to his tour card if things don’t resume, but he’s hopeful amendments would be made to extend it beyond a lost season.

For now, he’s trying to stay active as much as possible by doing home-based workouts and hopes to be able to hit the links in Manitoba next month. And he anxiously awaits the day he can return overseas to continue chasing his dream.

“It’s where I want to be. It’s a hell of a lot more fun. And when you’re playing for a hell of a lot more money, that’s more fun, too,” he said. “I’ve only got a small taste of it and it was only going to get better and better. I’m looking forward to whenever it starts up again.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg