‘Cut My Teeth On This Golf Course’: PGA Tour of Champions Legend Bids An Emotional Farewell to His Illustrious Career

Golf is a grand sport where you get to show your individual talent and hunger. Golfers’ careers are laden with individual awards and silverware. While the winning of accolades is the peak of any golf player’s playing career, retirement still remains the biggest point in a player’s career.

While witnessing our favorite players play, we often tend to forget that all good things come to an end. And even though they have had a wonderful career, one day or the other they have to bid farewell to the sport. Now recently, a legendary golfer has decided to retire from the sport.

John Cook bids farewell to the beautiful game

John Cook, having started his professional golf career in 1979, has decided to call it quits. After an amazing career that had many peak moments, Cook has nearly done it all. The 65-year-old has won eleven times on the PGA Tour and has also been a member of the Ryder Cup team back in 1993. Cook also spent 45 weeks in the top ten of the Official World Golf Ranking between 1992 and 1993.

After a professional playing career of over 40 years, Cook has decided to play his last game at Mission Hills for Galleri Classic. Before playing his final round of professional golf, Cook talked to the media and revealed his retirement plan. While revealing his retirement decision, Cook said how finding out about this event at Mission Hills helped him to make his decision.

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Cook said, “I grew up here. This is where I first met Ken Venturi. I cut my teeth on this golf course for almost 30 years. What a better place to call it a career?” Cook added how he played the higher level of his career at Mission Hills, and how he felt to finish it right out there and walk off right into the sunset.

Cook used to play football long before his golf career

Cook is the son of the PGA Tour official Jim Cook. Despite coming from a golf family, Cook used to play football during his college years. Through his sophomore year, Cook played quarterback for a football team despite being undersized. His high school’s golf coach, who also coached the football team, counseled him to focus on golf because it would increase his chances of receiving a college scholarship.

It was the only time, according to coach Wilbur Lucas, that he advised a player to give up a sport. The biggest moment in Cook’s career came when Ken Venturi, a former PGA Tour player, mentored him.

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What are your thoughts on Cooks’ career? Do let us know in the comments below.