Former prisoner and bike gang member Ryan Peake has received the New Zealand Open. The 31-year outdated Australian has certified for this yr’s Open championship, scheduled for July 17-20 at Royal Portrush golf membership in Northern Eire. Nonetheless, attributable to his prison document, Peake will want clearance from UK authorities to allow him to journey and compete within the event.
Ryan Peake was once a member of an outlawed bike gang, the Rebels, and obtained a five-year sentence after being discovered responsible of great assault. After securing victory on the New Zealand Open, Peake, a left-hander, said that golf had helped him flip over a brand new leaf.
“Yeah, I’m fairly misplaced for phrases in the mean time, this win is life-changing,” he instructed reporters. “It’s one hell of a narrative, one hell of a second.”
The Australian was a promising golfer in his youth and was broadly thought to be one of many greatest up-and-coming skills after teaming up with future British Open Championship winner Cameron Smith to win the boy’s division of the Trans-Tasman cup as a baby-faced 17-year-old in 2010.
Serving time in jail threatened to derail his profession. Though he’s again doing what he loves, he was near lacking the event after immigration officers delayed his entry into New Zealand.
Additionally Learn: Rising Costs Halting Golf’s Development
From Convict To New Zealand Open Champion
Peake fell out with golf in his early twenties and joined the Rebels, a infamous bike gang. He was sentenced to five-years in jail for assault in 2014. Peake’s actual transformation started when golf coach Ritchie Smith reached out to him and inspired him to return to golf after he regained his freedom. The Australian took the recommendation and commenced to rebuild his health and type after his launch. He earned a full card for the primary time on the Australasian Tour in 2024–25 season.
Forward of Sunday’s closing spherical in Queenstown, Peake had by no means beforehand performed within the closing group at an expert event. Nonetheless, he confirmed resilience, chasing down Guntaek Koh with 4 birdies on the opening 12 holes to attract stage. Peake then birdied the par-5 seventeenth after Koh made three straight bogeys, taking a one-shot lead heading to the par-3 18th.
The 31-year outdated was crammed with feelings as he celebrated together with his family and friends after recording the one-shot victory. The win got here with a prize of NZ$201,600 (approx. £99,500/AUS$185,000) and a spot within the Open championship at Royal Portrush.
Peake attributed the win to self-belief. “I all the time knew I may do it, it was only a matter of time after I was going to do it,” he said. “That is what I do now. I need to be right here and simply play golf. The story is what it’s, however I’m simply out right here taking part in golf.”
“From this morning, after I wakened 4 photographs behind, to chasing down a win. I’ve by no means been in a closing group, and now I’m a member of the Asian Tour and secured my place within the Open Championship.”
