While many of the young players on today’s PGA Tour are great players, they don’t have the personality of many of those who have moved on to the Champions Tour. But as Cook pointed out, it’s a different world.

“The young people don’t have the association with the older players,” said Cook, who became close friends with the great Byron Nelson, and had guidance from the likes of Ken Venturi and others. “That’s unfortunate. We were very lucky to have the associations we had.”

Cook also made a name for himself as a TV commentator, starting in 2003 with USA Network on a Sunday golf show.

“I might do it again someday,” said Cook, who had to give it up when he joined the Champions Tour. “There is always life after golf.”

Cook’s easy-going style was very popular with golf fans. “I wanted to make it sound like I didn’t forget what it was like to play the game,” he said. “I didn’t want to talk down to people. I wanted to be just like we are sitting here talking.”

As great as Cook is in the world of golf, he also had another claim to fame. He once did a photo shoot with a young girl named Mary Collins. Oh, yeah. You may know her better as Bo Derek!

“I was 12 and she was 11, I think,” said Cook. “I was racing motorcycles for Kawasaki and they came out with this new small motorcycle. She was a young model and they put the two of us together for the promotion.

“I saw her years later In South Africa when I was there to play in the Million Dollar event. She was there for the Miss World pageant. We were at a party and my wife went right up to talk to her and ask her if she remembered that.”

Cook has some other experiences when he was young, including playing at the Buhl Farm Golf Course which was then known as “Dum Dum.” “I played it when I was real little and we were here visiting,” said Cook, whose mom is originally from Sharpsville. “I played it again a couple of years ago. It was fun.”

And fun in golf is what Cook exudes as he teaches youngsters through the First Tee program.