The triumph of Ryan Peake, a 32 -year -old Australian at the New Zealand Open, even if it is a centenary tournament of the Australasia PGA does not belong to the calendar of the great appointments, would have little particular of not being because it hides a story that illustrates the fact that the sport can change the lives of people. Peake went through jail and not with precisely light conviction. Golf helped him rebuild his life and has led him to success.
Peake was a promise of Australian golf but in his first youth he was wrong his course: instead of focusing on sport he chose the world of motorcycle bands. It was enrolled in the Australian rebels whose activities, such as those of other epigony bands of the American hell, seemed rather a catalog of the facts sanctioned by the Criminal Code, from drug trafficking to extortion and aggressions in varying degrees. The band ended up being illegalized but Peake did not leave unscathed: in 2014, at age 21, he entered prison with a five -year sentence for aggression.
In the middle of the condemnation Ryan wrote a letter to Ritchie Smih, one of his former coaches. In her she told her her situation and asked her for help to play golf again. Ritchie got involved. In 2019 Ryan left prison and began working with his former coach in order to recover his truncated career. It was not easy: he still had talent but had fattened more than 30 kilos between his passage through the ‘gang’ and prison.
At the moment the story has a happy ending. Ryan Peake has Australasia PGA card and last weekend he won the New Zealand Open. On the final day he handled the pressure of being a solo leader and ended with five blows low to end -23, a blow ahead of three rivals. The first success had already been able to be in the departure group, since immigration officials put problems to their visa because of their criminal record, although he could finally reach the tournament the night before his start. “I feel relieved. I don’t have words right now. This changed my life,” Peake said containing tears after confirming his triumph.
Asked about his past, he said, before the final round, that golf was his focus to “leave behind a young and stupid lifestyle. I want to be here and play golf.” The triumph has earned Ryan a 201,600 dollar prize and an invitation place for the British Open, one of the ‘Majors’. To assert it, you must also convince British immigration officials of the effective rehabilitation, since they can also put problems to enter the United Kingdom for their criminal record.