Australian golfer Ryan Peake has officially turned his life around.
The 31-year-old qualified for the Open Championship on Sunday with a win in the New Zealand Open, five years after he spent half a decade in prison.
Peake was a member of the Rebels motorcycle gang and was convicted of assault at the age of 21. He had been a teammate of 2022 Champion Golfer of the Year Cameron Smith at the time he was convicted.
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Ryan Peake of Australia celebrates after winning the 2025 New Zealand Open at Millbrook Resort on March 2, 2025, in Queenstown, New Zealand. (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
After leaving jail, he returned to golf and began to rebuild his career with the help of leading coach Richie Smith and with the support of his family.
He received his Australasian tour card this season, and this was his first professional win.
“I always knew I could do it but it was just a matter of when I was going to do it,” Peake said. “Along with my family and my team everyone believed and most of all I believed as well.”
Former Open Championship winner Ian Baker-Finch congratulates Ryan Peake of Australia after winning the 2025 New Zealand Open, qualifying him for the next Open Championship at Millbrook Resort on March 2, 2025, in Queenstown, New Zealand. (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
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Peake trailed overnight leader Guntaek Koh of South Korea by four strokes heading into Sunday’s final round at Queenstown’s Milbrook Resort. He took the lead for the first time on the 67th hole and went 55 holes without a bogey.
“I’ve just changed my life,” Peake said. “This is what I do. I just want to be here and play golf. The story is what it is. But I’m just out here playing golf.”
Majors have seen their fair share of wild stories, perhaps most recently Michael Block’s performance at the 2023 PGA Championship.
Ryan Peake of Australia celebrates with the New Zealand Open trophy after winning the 2025 New Zealand Open. (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
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A club pro, Block suddenly found himself in contention over the weekend, and in his final round paired with Rory McIlroy, he hit a hole-in-one.
Other convicts to turn their lives around athletically include 2010 American League MVP Josh Hamilton and former MLB reliever Matt Bush.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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