This year Aaron has been playing in some bigger events due to his T50 finish in the Race To Dubai. He has completed the best year of his career winning over $1.3 million and making the cut in 19 of 27 events. He also had 4 top10 finishes.
He says winning and making the Tour Championship were 2 of his goals he was delighted to make one.
His season really was buoyed in my opinion by his T15 at the Alfred Dunhill Championship before Christmas 2023, then his T4 in late January at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic won by Rory. Aaron shot 71 67 72 68 that week.
Playing well he then proceeded to T6 at the Bahrain Championship at the start of February so his 2024 was off to a flying start..
He would go on to play in Qatar, Kenya, RSA, Singapore, India, China and Belgium.
I have drilled down a little in his results since his 10th place finish at the Italian Open at the end of June:
July/ August
He missed every cut, the BMW in Germany, the Genesis, the Czech Masters and the Danish.
September
In Switzerland he T47 then had a great week at the Irish Open T9 then played well T35 at the Flagship BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth both big DP World Tour events, before missing the cut at the Spanish Open
October
He opened with T13 at the French Open, then T43 in Andalucia Masters before MC in Korea.
November
T46 in the Abu Dhabi playoff to make the top 50 for the DP World Tour championship where he finished last T49 for his first time there.
December
He qualified for the Nedbank Challenge no cut field, finished well down, T52 in tough conditions on the Gary Player GC. Now this week at the Alfred Dunhill full field at Leopard Creek he has missed the cut E after he shot 71 73. The cut fell at -1 after moving several times.
He is currently 85th Race to Dubai and 274th (owgr)
After this week he is leaving the 100*f heat of South Africa off to Manitoba with the family for Christmas where it was -23 recently.
Comments : (credit Ken Wiebe Winnipeg Free Press)
“The two goals are always to win and to make it to the DP World Tour Championship, so I got one of the two this year. “Overall, I was very consistent throughout the year. No crazy high finishes, my best finish was a fourth (at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic), but a lot of consistency, which I was proud of. Lots of Top-25’s, which probably doesn’t sound that impressive, but it’s a lot of consistent golf.
“The difference between a 20th and a 10th and a fifth is pretty small, honestly. So, if I keep putting myself in position and keep doing that more and more next year, hopefully the win is coming.”
“Something I’m trying to improve is that approach play. It was definitely a bit better this year. In terms of my own stats and breaking it down by categories with (coach and fellow Manitoban) Derek Ingram, on my weeks that I was on, I was hitting it a little closer to the hole and I was making a few more birdies.
“That’s something we had talked about. When you’re playing well, you’ve got to make the most of it. You’ve got to take slightly more aggressive lines when you’re playing well. I’ve always been a pretty good putter. Tee balls come and go, but the irons this year were a little bit better when I was on.”
Now that I’ve started to have some of those pairings the odd time and play with some of the bigger names and see them quite often,” said Cockerill, who had four Top-10 finishes in 2024. “When I first came out on the DP Tour, Rory was there at one of the events and I didn’t want to go beside him on the range. I was shying away and stuff like that. Now I get to see and play with those guys a decent amount. I got to play with Tommy Fleetwood on Saturday at Wentworth Golf Club (for the BMW PGA Championship).
“There were probably six people deep in the gallery for the entire day. So that was a great experience.”
“To play with those guys and realize there’s probably not that much of a difference, they’re probably just a little more consistent than I am,” said Cockerill. “That’s encouraging to see and it makes you want to work a little bit harder than you already are and get to those guys’ level.”
On his Full-time move to Dubai and the transition to being a first-time father:
“With a baby (that turns two in February) and moving, there’s been lots of change in the last little while. But now we’re slowly getting used to those things and it’s been a positive effect,” said Cockerill. “With the direct flights everywhere, there’s not as much jet lag and I’m not shovelling snow and hitting balls in the garage and trying to go and play against the boys the next day, it’s been helpful and that’s been part of the successful season that I’ve had.”
Bryan Angus
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