Ryan Peake, a former gang member turned golfer, has remarkably qualified for this summer’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush (Image: Getty Images)
Ryan Peake, a former gang member turned golfer, has remarkably qualified for this summer’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush by clinching the New Zealand Open on Sunday.
Peake delivered a stellar performance with a bogey-free five-under-par 67 in the final round, edging out Japan’s Kazuki Higa by a single stroke.
Alongside the trophy and nearly £100,000 in winnings, the victory secured the 31 year old Australian his first-ever spot at The Open, where he will face the likes of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
Overwhelmed by his triumph, Peake expressed: “Yeah, I’m pretty lost for words at the moment, [the win is] life-changing,” adding, “It’s one hell of a story, one hell of a moment.”
At 21, Peake was involved with an outlaw motorcycle gang called the rebels and faced a serious assault conviction in 2014, resulting in a five-year prison sentence that derailed his professional golfing aspirations. However, while incarcerated, coach Ritchie Smith reached out to him, encouraging Peake to return to golf upon release. He did just that, joining the PGA Tour of Australasia and winning one of its most prestigious tournaments in his first season.
Reflecting on his past and looking forward to his future in golf, Peake remarked on Sunday: “I always knew I could do it, it was just a matter of time when I was going to do it. This is what I do now. I want to be here and just play golf. The story is what it is, but I’m just out here playing golf.”
Ryan Peake of Australia celebrates with the New Zealand Open trophy after winning the 2025 New Zealand Open at Millbrook Resort (Image: Getty Images)
Overcoming a challenging start, the golfer enthused about his surprising victory: “From this morning when I woke up four shots behind, to chase down a win. I’ve never been in a final group to now being a member of the Asian Tour.”
There had been significant uncertainty regarding his participation at the Millbrook Resort event in Queenstown given his unsure immigration status, with officials only giving the green light on Monday, mere days before the tournament began.
The golfer’s past convictions posed further obstacles, potentially impeding his ability to utilise his invitation to Royal Portrush and compete in the season’s final major come July.
Despite these hurdles, the 31 year old from Perth remained optimistic, buoyed by recent improvements including tied-fifth and tied-sixth finishes in his last three starts. Earlier season setbacks were mitigated thanks to insights from fellow golfer Elvis Smylie.
Reflecting on similar trials faced by Smylie, he quoted their coach, Ritchie Smith: “Elvis Smylie was in the same predicament not too long ago and our coach, Ritchie Smith, said it was going to switch and that you’ve just got to commit to it.
“He had the same chat with me when I missed the cut at the Aussie Open and the Aussie PGA. “We set out some goals of how we wanted to finish off the rest of the year and along with my family, my team, everyone believed. But most of all I believed as well.”