For all that has changed, some things still feel the same. And Peter Cooke will tap into those feelings for a PNG Open title defence four years in the making.
The ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia returns to Royal Port Moresby Golf Club this week for the first time since 2019, when Cooke surprised even himself with a two-stroke victory over Jack Wilson.
The COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to stage a tournament in Papua New Guinea until now, this week’s tournament serving as the beginning of the 2023-2024 season.
Cooke was already a 10-plus-year veteran on tour when he secured his lone Australasian Tour title to date, his defence drawn out so long that he briefly considered quitting before he had the chance.
Now working full-time at Kooyonga Golf Club in Adelaide and completing the PGA’s Tour Professional Articulation, Cooke flirted with the idea of calling time on tour life. At the completion of the most recent season, where he showed glimpses of his best in sporadic starts, Cooke was ranked 105th on the Order of Merit and destined for Q-School.
He and coach Daniel Blackwell discussed not going at all, convincing himself that a year to focus on the next phase of his golf career would be more fruitful. Yet, like bush footballers who retire repeatedly year after year after year, Cooke knew deep down that his good stuff was still good enough not to give up on.
“I know he didn’t love the thought of it but he understood where I was coming from,” Cooke said of his discussion with Blackwell. “At the same time, I’m a stubborn bastard and don’t like quitting.
“When I had a moment to think about it properly, I realised I was actually doing a lot of good things. There were some rounds in there that were nearly the round of the day in little stints, I just lacked that sharpness for the four days because I just don’t put the time into my game.
“Technically and mentally I probably walked off that season with my game in as good a spot as it’s ever been. I had to think a little less emotionally about results and have a proper think about it. It’s going too well to quit just yet. I had that thought for a moment, that this could be my last event, and I didn’t like it.
“So here we go again.”
Part of what Cooke and Blackwell have been working on came to the fore at Moonah Links, a course where the South Australian has typically struggled.
He finished tied for 12th to keep his card and now has the opportunity to improve his status with a strong showing at a course where he enjoyed his greatest success.
And if expectations count for anything, Cooke may just be tapping into the formula that proved so effective four years ago.
“The good thing about my attitude last time I went up there was my plan was to make the cut and have a half-decent finish to get a good position on the re-rank,” Cooke recalled. “The expectations were pretty low and I just surprised myself.
“This time around, the golf side of things has changed. I’m working full-time, so the expectations are still low while the form is feeling like it’s there.
“I feel like I’m almost in a similar position, mentally. The last season may not have been successful but PNG was the last place that I had the best feeling in the world. The absolute peak of my golf and a tournament win.
“Going back there alone for the good memories – you remember the shots, you remember the feelings, some of the putts you holed – it’s just nice to go to a place where you’ve got good feelings. That was the appeal of going back.”
Other Q-School graduates in the field this week include Lachy Barker, Anthony Choat, Kiwi Kit Bittle, Darcy Brereton and Matt Stieger.
Winner of the 2021 WA PGA Championship, Jay Mackenzie, will tee it up along with two-time runner-up last season Lincoln Tighe, 2021 Vic PGA champion Chris Wood and emerging amateur star Jeffrey Guan.
The PNG Open boasts $180,000 in prizemoney in 2023 and dates back to 1977 when it was won by Ted Ball.
