The Open: Can Min Woo Lee's secret weapon help lead him to glory at Portrush?
The man carrying his bag was caddie for the winner of the Open when it was last played at Portrush in 2019.
Brian 'Bo' Martin was instrumental in Irishman Shane Lowry's memorable 2019 victory at the rugged links course on the north-west tip of Northern Ireland. He split with Lowry in 2023 and took Lee's bag late in 2024.
Martin, himself a scratch golfer at the stunning Ardglass Club in Northern Ireland, made an immediate impression on Lee and the duo have been making steady progress since, with a first US PGA Tour victory in March this year the high point.
Lee is one of three West Aussies in this week's Open, alongside former Hale student Curtis Luck and ex-bikie Ryan Peake, who are both making their Open debuts.
Peake's return to the big time is an astonishing story.
Fifteen years ago, Peake and Cameron Smith won the boys' division of the Trans-Tasman Trophy.
But while Smith was destined for stardom and riches, including the 2022 Open at St Andrews, Peake's life took a drastic turn.
He left golf behind, joining the Rebels bikie gang in Perth and ending up being jailed for five years for assault, shortly before he turned 21.
His renaissance as a golfer began via a phone call he received in prison from coach Richie Smith, who encouraged him to give golf another go when he got out.
And he did — but it was a slow build.
Peake was ranked 1215th in the world when he won the New Zealand Open in March, which gave him automatic entry to the Open. A call from Smith and Lee before the final round helped put his comeback in perspective and Peake reeled in a four-shot deficit to take the title and the precious Open berth.
'I love watching The Open because my style of golf is that I want it to be brutal conditions where I don't have to shoot 30-under,' Peake said after his win.
'Scrapping it around, I really enjoy that style of golf. Generally, The Open is real links (golf) and that's how it's played. I'm super pumped now, and The Open is starting to sink in.'
Luck's career ignited early, winning the US Amateur in 2016 (as well as the WA Open) and he turned pro in 2017. He earned his spot at Portrush due to his runner-up finish at the Australian Open in December.
Luck has played on the US PGA Tour and won on the secondary Korn Ferry Tour but his career has stalled in the past few years with his world golf ranking now sitting at No. 482.
A fourth 'West Aussie' at the Open is 20-year-old South African sensation Aldrich Potgieter.
Born in Pretoria, Potgieter moved to Perth as an eight-year-old and won numerous events while at Kingsway Christian College.
But he returned to South Africa aged 17 and has since gone from strength to strength, most recently winning the Rocket Classic in Detroit, his first US PGA Tour win.
Two years ago, during a Monday qualifier for the John Deere Classic, Potgieter made a hole in one on a 369-metre par four. But still didn't qualify for the main event.
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The Australian
7 hours ago
- The Australian
The Open: Last Aussie Leishman targets top-10 at Royal Portrush
Marc Leishman wants to punch a return ticket to The Open after the lone Australian left in the 153rd championship admitted he's desperate for a top-10 finish in Northern Ireland. Leishman signed for a steady three-under 68 during the third round on Sunday morning (AEST), giving him an outside chance of climbing to somewhere near the top of the leaderboard in the final round at Royal Portrush. The top 10 finishers will be guaranteed a spot in next year's event at Royal Birkdale, and Leishman's access to the majors has been restricted due to LIV Golf yet to be given official world rankings status. He's tied-22nd heading into the final round. In the most favourable conditions all week, Leishman (-4) was only left to rue missed opportunities on the links course's three par-fives, playing them in one-over during his third round. He remains 10 shots behind world No.1 Scottie Scheffler, who edged closer to the third leg of the career grand slam with a nerveless 67. 'Obviously there's the carrot dangling to try to get into the top four, but also to try to get in The Open next year,' Leishman said. 'You want to do something silly and try to go crazy low, but you also want to make sure you try to get back in next year and give yourself a chance to get into the other majors. I'm probably more so looking at that.' Leishman is the sole surviving Australian in The Open, with the other eight all missing the cut on the brutal coastal course. Marc Leishman is the last remaining Australian at the Open. Picture: Glyn Kirk/AFP He ended three years in the majors wilderness when he qualified for the US Open last month, and has long had his eye on The Open, having earned his spot via a top-three finish at the Australian Open last year. Leishman made a bad start to his third round with a three-putt bogey, but finished with five birdies and just two bogeys on his round. 'If I played the par-fives better, I could have had a really low one,' Leishman said. 'None of them were playing difficult either. That was disappointing. 'It's been a while (since I've been playing majors), but something you can slide back into pretty easily. It's what we want to do, play majors, win majors. I've not been in them for a while, but happy to be back.' Marc Leishman is savouring his return to the majors. Picture:On moving day, Scheffler (-14) did Scheffler things. After a middling start to his round with six straight pars, he went eagle-birdie and finished with four-under to open up a four-shot lead from China's Haotong Li (-10). Rory McIlroy (-8) jolted Royal Portrush into a cacophony of roars with three birdies in his first four holes, but has a mountain to climb to run down Scheffler despite his 66. 'I think any time you can keep a clean card around a major championship, you're going to be having a pretty good day,' Scheffler said. McIlroy faces Scheffler reality Rory McIlroy got to his ball on the 18th green, and like a kid finally tempted one too many times to put a hand in the lolly jar, dared look at a leaderboard. There's one either side of the giant grandstand that horseshoes around the last hole. It was telling the same old story at the top. S Scheffler -13. McIlroy took a deep breath, almost a recognition no matter how good he plays, no matter how many roars he triggers, no matter how desperately he wants to win golf's most historic tournament in his own backyard, he won't. He can't, can he? Scottie Scheffler looks unbeatable. US golfer Scottie Scheffler remains the man to beat. Picture: Glyn Kirk/AFP 'He's playing like Scottie,' McIlroy shrugs. 'I don't think it's a surprise. Everyone's seen the way he's played over the last two or three years. He's just so solid. He doesn't make mistakes. 'Whenever you're trying to chase down a guy like that, it's hard to do. He's incredibly impressive.' For a few hours on Sunday morning (AEST), tens of thousands Northern Irish tried to bend a golf tournament to their own will. They might even be tempted to ask the big man upstairs at Sunday morning worship, but is there even a point? Scheffler has already got God on his side. It's gone past a question of if Scheffler wins the 153rd Open Championship, it's merely a matter of when. When he does, he might enjoy it for two minutes. In these parts, an achingly cold and blue collar corner of the world where McIlroy is everyone's other son, they'll still be talking about it in two centuries if there is a McIlroy Miracle. For a while during his third round, they were believing. Rory McIlroy put on a show on moving day. Picture:The grand slam winner birdied three of his first four holes, and you didn't need whispers to realise what was going on. The roars were so loud, so definitive, there would be packed grandstands on holes half-a-mile away which would bellow and cheer just because they heard people bellow and cheer elsewhere. It could only mean a McIlroy birdie, or eagle like his putt from another postcode on the 12th. 'It's one of the largest roars I've ever heard on a golf course,' McIlroy says. 'So, that was a really cool moment.' Said Marc Leishman: 'You can hear (the roars) everywhere.' McIlroy even produced a magic trick he was impressed with, somehow managing to uncover an old ball buried in a native area on the 11th hole when he swung lustily at his own ball. He picked it up, looked at it in amazement, and just tossed it away. 'It's never happened to me before,' McIlroy said. 'It could never happen on any other course but a links course as well.' Scheffler (-14) is Winx-like odds to saunter to his fourth major win, completing the third leg of a career grand slam. The world No.1 barely broke a sweat in his third round, as automatic as Scheffler gets, posting a bogey-free four-under 67. He leads China's Haotong Li by four shots, with McIlroy (-8) two further back in tied-fourth. Scottie Scheffler remains the pack leader. Picture: Henry Nicholls/AFP McIlroy had to wait 11 years to finally end his excruciating wait for the grand slam winning the Masters in April. He sunk to his knees on the 18th green, wept uncontrollably, and ever if you had any doubt of the burden he'd carried by never being able to tame Augusta, there was your answer. It's easy to interpret when Scheffler peeled back the curtain on how he truly feels about his craft earlier this week, there was a subliminal message for McIlroy. McIlroy's comedown from the Masters has been heavy. He's been snarky with the media, played average golf by his extreme standards, looked anything but a man basking in the golden and green jacket glow. Now that he'd climbed Everest, what was next? But there's also a lesson Scheffler can learn from McIlroy: nothing is given, especially in a sport as infuriating as this. Golf history has a strange way of repeating itself. Will Scottie Scheffler feel the pressure coming on the final day? Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFP McIlroy won his first four majors in the space of three years (2011-2014). When Scheffler lifts the claret jug some time on Monday morning, he will have won his first four majors in the space of three years (2022-2025). Who honestly thinks he will be waiting 11 years to win a US Open? Anyone? In the minutes after Scheffler emotionlessly walked to sign his scorecard, deadbatted a few questions from the media, The Open's host broadcaster in the UK was discussing how 'annoying' it can be that he shows no emotions on course. 'When I watch Scottie play a lot, he just looks blacked out to me,' defending champion Xander Schauffele says. 'Just doing his thing. He's just in his own world and nothing's going to bother him. He gets to that place often, which is a good thing for him.' But it's not good for everyone else. 'Winning major championships is not an easy task, and I've put myself in a good position,' Scheffler says, perhaps the understatement of the year. 'Going into tomorrow I'm going to step up there on the first tee and I'm going to be trying to get the ball in the fairway, and when I get to the second shot, I'm going to be trying to get that ball on the green. 'There's not really too much else going on.' 'F*** this place': Open star punished on controversial day Fan favourite Shane Lowry was sensationally penalised two strokes after officials ruled his ball moved after a practice swing on a wild day for the former Open champion, who also cursed at Royal Portrush, the scene of his only major win. A deflated Lowry spent about 20 minutes poring over vision of him addressing his ball from thick rough on the 12th hole, with one camera appearing to show it slightly moving after he took a practice swing on Saturday morning (AEST). He was told he would be assessed a two-shot penalty, which plunged him back to even-par for the tournament – 10 strokes behind world No.1 Scottie Scheffler. 'I was in there with the rules official and wasn't arguing my case, but I'm disappointed that they don't have more camera angles on it,' Lowry told media after the second round. 'They're trying to tell me if it doesn't move from the naked eye, if you don't see it moving, it didn't move. I told them I definitely was looking down towards the ball as I was taking that practice swing, and I didn't see it move. Shane Lowry's ball moved in his practice swing, earning him a two-shot penalty. 'I'm still not sure, to be honest, whether it was (moving) or not. But I had to take the penalty because I can't have my name talked about or tossed around like that. 'The last thing I want to do is sit there and argue and not take the penalty and then get slaughtered all over social media tonight for being a cheat.' Lowry was first alerted to the potential infraction by a rules official on the 15th hole and was asked to examine the incident post round with playing partners Scheffler and Collin Morikawa (+7). The ruling has given Lowry a mountain to climb after an otherwise solid day in which he signed for two birdies and a bogey, adding to the double bogey he accepted on the 12th. Shane Lowry was sensationally penalised two strokes during the second round of the Open. Picture: Getty Asked about the Lowry incident, Scheffler said: 'Ultimately in golf it's up to the player, and I felt like Shane was put in a pretty tough situation there when they were zooming in on his golf ball. In the rough, it's hard to tell. 'From what I looked at very briefly on the video, it looked like it was very difficult to see if the ball moved.' Said Lowry: 'If the ball moved, I would have called it on myself. My head was definitely looking down at the ball and I didn't see it moving. But I'm out there signing for a 72 now.' It wasn't the only contentious moment of Lowry's round, with a hot mic picking him up saying 'f--- this place' after a wayward drive. Lowry was feted for his remarkable win in The Open six years ago when the tournament returned to Northern Ireland, and he even has a large mural painted of him on the side of a house in Portrush.
The Australian
7 hours ago
- The Australian
Ex-Rebels bikie Ryan Peake makes history at The Open Championship
Of all the ways Ryan Peake has gone from a tiny and crowded prison cell to golf's most historic tournament, who would have thought it would all rest on a British passport? Nearly a few hundred years on, Peake is the reverse convict: an Australian with a criminal record only being able to enter the United Kingdom for its treasured golfing heirloom because of citizenship he's held though his father, Mel. 'My dad was born in England,' Peake says. Whereabouts? 'England,' he laughs, clearly not having taken time to delve too much into the family history. 'I mean, that's the reason I'm here this week.' Ryan Peake talks with his caddie on the first tee during a practice round prior ahead of the Open Championship. Picture: Getty The Australian left-hander, who earlier this year opened up to News Corp about his journey from a former Rebels bikie who spent five years in prison for a serious assault to top golfer, is speaking in a plush suite on the grounds of Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland before his debut major. He's holding his own press conference away from official R&A briefings because there's been that much interest in his story. A collection of journalists from European publications have been fascinated by his tale, taking out their notebooks at any time to learn more about this interloper who's crashed golf's clean cut elite. But Peake walks through the crowds and there's barely a second glance from punters. Ryan Peake in his prison greens Ryan Peake joined the Rebels. Opinion is split in the ravenous Pommy press. Can we write about one of the most incredible sporting tales of the year? Will it glorify violence? Why is he so openly speaking about it when it would have just been easier to trot out the line it was in the past? 'I just like honesty,' Peake says. 'It's me. I guess I got out of the (Rebels) club from being honest as well. It's hard to kick someone that's honest, and it's just my view and it's my life. It's my story. I'm not essentially embarrassed about it. It's something that I've done. I've owned it.' How a Northern Irish crowd besotted with Rory McIlroy react to a heavily tattooed Australian with a dark past he's emerged from is anyone's guess. Peake has been paired with LIV Golf's Phil Mickelson for the opening two rounds of the Open. Picture: Getty The R&A clearly have a sense of humour, pairing Peake with LIV Golf disrupter Phil Mickelson for the opening two rounds. If walking onto the first tee of your first major playing alongside Phil is daunting, how about being crammed into a cold and concrete confinement for your crimes? Plucking up the courage to ask the Rebels if you can leave their chapter when you get out because you want to play golf? Figuring out how to actually do shopping again? Pay bills? Trying to hit a little white ball for the first time? 'It was pretty shit,' Peake says of the latter. 'I mean it went forward, but a lot's come since then.' But the reaction from his peers has been far more emphatic this week. Peake, 31, credits Min Woo Lee coach's Ritchie Smith for saving his golfing career when he rang him while he was inside. Lee has spent the majority of the week with Peake learning the nuances of this brutal and beautiful links golf course. Peake celebrates with the New Zealand Open trophy earlier this year. Picture: Getty On Tuesday (BST), Peake also spent time with his former Australian junior teammate Cameron Smith and veteran Marc Leishman in a practice round. 'People think it's just normal and he's just playing golf, but there must be something that he deals with every day,' Lee says. 'I guess he has this amazing story about him, but he still wants to play good golf. He thinks the story doesn't matter if he doesn't play good golf.' Says Smith: 'It's awesome. He's a great guy. He got himself into strife, but it's good to see him out here playing golf for one, but turning his life around is the main thing.' Where he is allowed to golf is still up in the air. Peake has now hired a manager, Matt Cutler, after his New Zealand Open win earlier this year garnered worldwide attention and helped him earn status on the lucrative DP World and Asian Tour. Cutler has applied for three visas so far, three successes. Ryan Peake celebrates his Sandbelt Invitational win. Photo: Paul Shire But bigger logistical hurdles await, particularly in the United States, the epicentre of professional golf, and more sensitive parts of Asia. 'We will help him as much as we can,' Asian Tour boss Cho Minn Thant says. 'There are no issues from a management perspective and I think all the players treat him as a fellow competitor. He's easy to get along with.' Of all the shattering tales he's already told of how his life once unravelled, the most jarring might have been when his mum told him she was relieved the day he stepped foot in prison. It was because she finally knew where he was each night. Peake's fiancée Lee and his parents will arrive at Royal Portrush to watch The Open, safe again in the knowledge he's made it to a place his talent deemed he should be – with the help of a little British passport. 'If I wanted to pull out this week because I didn't feel right or thought, 'this isn't for me', that wouldn't bother (my family) one bit,' Peake says. 'They would just want whatever I want, and they'd be happy with that.'
The Australian
8 hours ago
- The Australian
‘Very exciting horse': Glorious Moments can end trainers' black-type wait after statement win at Randwick
It's been more than 10 years since long-time Randwick stalwarts Jim and Greg Lee tasted black-type success, but their next feature win might be just around the corner. The Lee brothers last tasted Stakes race success in the 2015 Winter Challenge with Keepit To Yourself but the latest product to come out of their stable, Glorious Moments made a serious statement at Royal Randwick on Saturday. The lightly raced gelding produced a classy turn of foot to put his rivals away in fine style when scoring an emphatic win in the 3YO Benchmark 72 Handicap (1300m). • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! The home track victory came at just the fourth start for Glorious Moments which was sidelined for more than 12 months after his first two starts as a juvenile due to a quarter crack in a hoof. 'You do what you can to keep it together but unfortunately it didn't work out early in his career and he eventually had to go out,' Greg Lee said leading up to Saturday. 'The only way that is going to repair is giving them time and that's what we did.' Glorious Moments made a winning return from a long spell at Canterbury on June 18 then on Saturday he provided his winning jockey Heavelon Van Der Hoven with his first Sydney metropolitan winner, 24 hours before the rider relocates to continue his career. Van Der Hoven, 32, was born in Namibia and has been based in New South Wales for five years but on Sunday, he's making the move to Queensland in the quest of more opportunities. 'I'm very grateful for the chance to ride a horse like this,' Van Der Hoven said. 'I'm going to Brisbane. I'm just going to try and see how I go up there. • Nashville Jack in fine tune with slashing win 'I really like the atmosphere and the weather up there. 'If I get offered the chance I'll jump on a plane to come back and ride this horse. I'd go anywhere to ride him.' Glorious Moments ($3.80 eq fav), a rising four-year-old by the 2019 Doncaster winner Brutal, came from the second half of the field, switching to the outside of runners at the top of the straight and letting down strongly to win by a widening 4¼ lengths. 'He still has a bit to learn,' Van Der Hoven said. 'He didn't know when to travel or when to relax, he did everything a bit upside down. 'He's so raw but he's very exciting. 'He's got a really good turn of foot and that will be an advantage as the races get harder. 'He's a very exciting horse.' Randwick-trained horses filled the placings with Codetta ($5) second, one-amd-a-half lengths ahead of Signor Tortoni ($5) in third. Stardeel was the other $3.80 equal favourite and finished fourth. • Ole Dancer 'has quality' for spring despite Moody query Greg Lee hinted that Glorious Moments could be 'the best horse we've had for a long while' and that he believes the gelding will continue to improve with more experience and as the distances increase, suggesting 'I think he will run a mile plus'. Stable racing manager and part owner of Glorious Moments, Keith Lam, suggested that a trip to Melbourne is a possibility in the weeks and or months ahead for the emerging talent. 'He's a lovely horse. It's taken a fair while for us to get to this point but finally he's starting to show what we've known what he has,' Lam said. 'He did that pretty easy today. 'There's a couple of black-type races coming up Melbourne for him. 'I don't have the names of the races here but there are a couple of suitable races coming up for him. 'It will either be next start or maybe the one after. We'll just see how he pulls up.'
