Latest news with #Peake
West Australian
19-07-2025
- Climate
- West Australian
The Open: Marc Leishman only Aussie to make cut as tough conditions test world's best at Royal Portrush
Driving rain, brutal rough, relentless winds howling off the Atlantic — welcome to links golf in Northern Ireland. It's tough to hit fairways at Portrush. And getting into the rough can destroy a round in a heartbeat. It grades from long, chunky rough where you can still play a recovery shot — often just a low runner along the ground — to fescue which is unpredictable and leads to flyers or pulls. Big-name scorecards suffered, with Adam Scott's second-round 79, Tom Hoge's 81 on Thursday and Bryson DeChambeau's opening round 78 glaring examples of world-class players failing the stern test. At least DeChambeau fought back with a stunning 65 to jump 91 places and make the cut. Nine Australians started their chase for The Open Championship on Thursday but just one, Marc Leishman, will play all four rounds. Leishman was the only Aussie under par heading into the weekend after taking advantage of the stiller morning conditions on Friday to fire a second round 68. Scott was still in the hunt when he teed off on Friday morning in his 96th consecutive major after a first round 72. However, double bogeys at 3, 11 and 16 destroyed his charge. The 215-metre par-three 16th surrounded by dense rough lived up to its 'calamity corner' and 'card wrecker' monikers as the winds picked up and rain teemed down for the later starters. It was compulsive viewing and hundreds of locals grabbed prime spots early to watch the carnage unfold. Of the other Aussies, world No.30 Jason Day missed the cut by one shot while 23-year-old Elvis Smylie and Lucas Herbert will also be heading home early. And the three-man West Australian contingent — Min Woo Lee (five-over-par) and Open debutants Curtis Luck and Ryan Peake (both eight-over) — all missed the cut. For Lee it was his third missed cut in five Open appearances, continuing a moderate record with a best finish of tied 21st in 2022. 'It's a course where it can bite you in the butt pretty quickly. So yeah, I didn't obviously play too good,' Lee said after his second round. Luck had no luck with the draw, hitting off in the second last group in Thursday's opening round, not teeing off until after 4pm local time and carding an 80 to effectively end his chances. He fared much better on Friday with a 70. Peake played alongside multiple major champion Phil Mickelson, who attracted a strong gallery from the word go just after 7am on Thursday. After a nervy start, he was far from disgraced with a 77 and showed his grit with a second round 73, much of it played in driving rain. 'I'll reflect on the experience later down the track, but it was disappointing not playing the weekend,' Peake said The former star junior golfer turned Rebels bikie who was jailed for assault before rediscovering his love for the game said he enjoyed playing alongside fellow left-hander Mickelson, the 55-year-old qualifying for the weekend again after finishing at even-par. 'Playing with Phil obviously was great,' he said. 'I was trying to play my game as well, but he was friendly, he was chatting,.' Cameron Smith, the 2022 champion, was erratic off the tee and finished tied 138th alongside Luck and Peake on eight-over. Northern Irish home favourite Rory McIlroy was fortunate to avoid the teeming rain in Thursday's opening round and somehow able to keep his nerves in check to fire a one-under-par 70. He followed it with a 69 in the second round to ensure he'll play the weekend at Portrush this time after missing the cut here in 2019. Inside the ropes with the McIlroy group provided but an amazing glimpse of the adoration the Irish and Northern Irish fans have for the champion Ulsterman. And the enormous pressure from scores of fans. On Thursday, he had to delay his initial tee shot on the 1st because the cheering of the fans went on so long. It felt like they were finally congratulating him for the Masters win in person. But then total silence as thousands watched him pull his long iron left into the fescue and breathed a collective sigh of relief. That opening tee shot was as nerve-wracking as it gets for McIlroy after he hit it out-of-bounds in 2019 at Portrush on his way to a quadruple bogey and missed cut. And it was typical of McIlroy to miss a short putt on that same hole and make bogey. While he grimaced the fans' audible disappointment must have been hard to wear for McIlroy. Constant calls of 'c'mon Rory, c'mon Rory' were relentless from the 20-deep galleries around the greens, fairways and tees. Fans were even 10-deep in the hospitality areas 50m away and as loud as any football match as McIlroy left the green for the next tee box. When he sunk a remarkable birdie on the second hole the full-throttled Rory Roar was off the charts.
Perth Now
19-07-2025
- Climate
- Perth Now
Leishman only Aussie to make cut in tough Open conditions
Driving rain, brutal rough, relentless winds howling off the Atlantic — welcome to links golf in Northern Ireland. It's tough to hit fairways at Portrush. And getting into the rough can destroy a round in a heartbeat. It grades from long, chunky rough where you can still play a recovery shot — often just a low runner along the ground — to fescue which is unpredictable and leads to flyers or pulls. Big-name scorecards suffered, with Adam Scott's second-round 79, Tom Hoge's 81 on Thursday and Bryson DeChambeau's opening round 78 glaring examples of world-class players failing the stern test. At least DeChambeau fought back with a stunning 65 to jump 91 places and make the cut. Nine Australians started their chase for The Open Championship on Thursday but just one, Marc Leishman, will play all four rounds. Leishman was the only Aussie under par heading into the weekend after taking advantage of the stiller morning conditions on Friday to fire a second round 68. Scott was still in the hunt when he teed off on Friday morning in his 96th consecutive major after a first round 72. However, double bogeys at 3, 11 and 16 destroyed his charge. The 215-metre par-three 16th surrounded by dense rough lived up to its 'calamity corner' and 'card wrecker' monikers as the winds picked up and rain teemed down for the later starters. It was compulsive viewing and hundreds of locals grabbed prime spots early to watch the carnage unfold. Of the other Aussies, world No.30 Jason Day missed the cut by one shot while 23-year-old Elvis Smylie and Lucas Herbert will also be heading home early. And the three-man West Australian contingent — Min Woo Lee (five-over-par) and Open debutants Curtis Luck and Ryan Peake (both eight-over) — all missed the cut. For Lee it was his third missed cut in five Open appearances, continuing a moderate record with a best finish of tied 21st in 2022. 'It's a course where it can bite you in the butt pretty quickly. So yeah, I didn't obviously play too good,' Lee said after his second round. Luck had no luck with the draw, hitting off in the second last group in Thursday's opening round, not teeing off until after 4pm local time and carding an 80 to effectively end his chances. He fared much better on Friday with a 70. Peake played alongside multiple major champion Phil Mickelson, who attracted a strong gallery from the word go just after 7am on Thursday. After a nervy start, he was far from disgraced with a 77 and showed his grit with a second round 73, much of it played in driving rain. 'I'll reflect on the experience later down the track, but it was disappointing not playing the weekend,' Peake said The former star junior golfer turned Rebels bikie who was jailed for assault before rediscovering his love for the game said he enjoyed playing alongside fellow left-hander Mickelson, the 55-year-old qualifying for the weekend again after finishing at even-par. 'Playing with Phil obviously was great,' he said. 'I was trying to play my game as well, but he was friendly, he was chatting,.' Cameron Smith, the 2022 champion, was erratic off the tee and finished tied 138th alongside Luck and Peake on eight-over. Northern Irish home favourite Rory McIlroy was fortunate to avoid the teeming rain in Thursday's opening round and somehow able to keep his nerves in check to fire a one-under-par 70. He followed it with a 69 in the second round to ensure he'll play the weekend at Portrush this time after missing the cut here in 2019. Inside the ropes with the McIlroy group provided but an amazing glimpse of the adoration the Irish and Northern Irish fans have for the champion Ulsterman. And the enormous pressure from scores of fans. On Thursday, he had to delay his initial tee shot on the 1st because the cheering of the fans went on so long. It felt like they were finally congratulating him for the Masters win in person. But then total silence as thousands watched him pull his long iron left into the fescue and breathed a collective sigh of relief. That opening tee shot was as nerve-wracking as it gets for McIlroy after he hit it out-of-bounds in 2019 at Portrush on his way to a quadruple bogey and missed cut. And it was typical of McIlroy to miss a short putt on that same hole and make bogey. While he grimaced the fans' audible disappointment must have been hard to wear for McIlroy. Constant calls of 'c'mon Rory, c'mon Rory' were relentless from the 20-deep galleries around the greens, fairways and tees. Fans were even 10-deep in the hospitality areas 50m away and as loud as any football match as McIlroy left the green for the next tee box. When he sunk a remarkable birdie on the second hole the full-throttled Rory Roar was off the charts.
Perth Now
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
'I belong here': Open newbie Peake vows he'll be back
Ryan Peake cut a frustrated figure after bowing out of his maiden British Open, but the Australian golfer whose redemption story captivated Royal Portrush reckons his great adventure on the links has persuaded him he belongs among the game's elite. Peake, the former biker gang member who served jail time for an assault but rebuilt his life through his golfing prowess, had too much to do to make the weekend's action after his first-round 77, despite improving with a two-over 73 on Friday. "Dry and miserable," sighed the 32-year-old, when asked how he felt after escaping the rain. "Obviously, it's been a great build-up. I feel we've done the right prep, the venue's been fantastic, the crowds great. The hospitality, treatment side, everyone goes above and beyond to do everything for you. So in that aspect, everything's been great. Just the golf was disappointing. "I'll reflect on the experience later down the track, but it was disappointing not playing the weekend." Peake had enjoyed playing alongside his fellow left-hander Phil Mickelson for two rounds, with the six-time major champion qualifying for the weekend again at 55. "Playing with Phil obviously was great. I was trying to play my game as well, but he was friendly, he was chatting," reflected the man from Perth. "It's not like I've played this week and think that's the best player I'm ever going to play with or it's the biggest event I'm ever going to play with. I'm not exactly here this week to try and embrace it all as the coolest moment of my life, because I believe I belong here. "I'm going to keep trying to do it again, and I believe I've got the game to do it. Just this week, I didn't have it, and it's just a little bit disappointing." But as he reflected on how far he's come since imprisonment, Peake had good reason to feel proud. . "It was never on the cards (playing in a major). I don't want to come across too miserable and then be sitting here like beating myself up, but for the next little while I'm allowed to be disappointed with the performance that I've done. It's just something else to grow from, I guess. "It sucks that it's gone this way, but obviously I'm honoured to have had the privilege to do it. Maybe next time will be better." Peake is determined to build on his first major experience, which he grabbed with his fairytale win in the New Zealand Open in March. "I've got a busy schedule now," he said. "I'm about to head home back to Perth. I've got about three or four weeks off, and then I'll go over my calendar. "I've got about 13 events on the back end of Asia that we have to finish this season. So I'll discuss what events I'm going to play and then build into Europe for the end of the year. "I've got lots to look forward to, but I've got a little bit of work to do after this week as well."
7NEWS
18-07-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Reformed Aussie prisoner Ryan Peake's Open Championship debut alongside Phil Mickelson falls flat
Wide-eyed Open debutant Ryan Peake has been given a special gift by his illustrious playing partner Phil Mickelson — but it was the big Aussie who ended up feeling like a deflated Father Christmas on the unforgiving Royal Portrush links. The 31-year-old, whose remarkable redemption story from jailed biker gang member (he spent five years in prison) to golfing champion has been the talk of the Open this week, felt unashamedly wide-eyed and a mite nervous as he teed off with one of his heroes, six-time major champ Mickelson, on Thursday morning. But he made sure he would get a special memento of his big day as he got the 55-year-old fellow 'Lefty' to sign a golf glove and give him his ball after a round when they enjoyed rather different fortunes. Peake watched awe-struck as the 2013 champion Mickelson rekindled some of his old magic, not least when the American failed to extricate himself from a greenside bunker at his first attempt on the third hole only to hole his second effort in wizardly fashion. Yet while Mickelson finished on one under, Peake never got going, ending up with a six-over 77 that's going to make it a real struggle to make the cut. 'I felt like I did a couple things all right and kind of didn't get rewarded for them,' sighed Peake, who'd earned his spot through his fairytale win at the New Zealand Open in March when the amazing tale surfaced of how rediscovering golf gave the former bikie a shot at a new life after serving jail time for assault. 'But I was like Father Christmas out there - I was just handing out presents to the golf course. I just kept throwing shots away, and it was just very frustrating. 'Obviously, I've still got tomorrow to try and do something to make this cut, but the whole experience, that's something that I'll look on further down the track. I'm here to compete, but I just got beat up out there.' It was, though, an experience he'll never forget. Even just meeting Mickelson was a thrill. 'He just introduced himself at the first tee. I don't think he needs to introduce himself, I was well aware of who he was! 'But obviously I was nervous - not because I was playing next to Phil - it's just, I guess, your first major and things like that. I've just got to get better at (handling) that.' Did 'Lefty' offer him any help? 'No, I would have known I was in a bad place if he'd come over and started offering me help!' smiled Peake. 'But no, we chatted. He's very friendly. I grabbed his putter off him a few times and had a little feel of it. There was a couple of cool things. 'His caddie was giving away golf balls as we walked off the first tee, and I yelled out, 'what about me?', and he had a laugh, thought I was being sarcastic, and said, 'are you serious?' -- and I said, 'I'm deadly serious!'. 'I said, 'can you sign a glove as well?'. My own boy is out here this week and he loves Phil as well. I'm not going to ask him on the first tee, but I'll ask him after the round.' Mickelson obliged and the pair will enjoy round two together on Friday. 'I'm definitely not counting myself out of it. But yeah, at the moment just pretty flat,' said Peake.
Irish Examiner
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Open Diary: 'Pretty cool' Spidercam keeps out of the way on 18
Spidercam? What Spidercam? The R&A, fairly or otherwise, isn't the first body you might think of when it comes to innovation but global golf's administrators stole a march with their adoption for the first time this week of a Spidercam on the 18th green. Football, cricket and rugby have all embraced the technology before now but doing it in golf, with its wider canvas and other structural obstacles, isn't as easy. The R&A had to use four pylons to suspend the camera 25 metres above and behind the final green. So, it fell to the opening group of Padraig Harrington, Tom McKibbin and Nicolai Hojgaard to make a small slice of history as they approached the 18th green and equipment that cost €350,000 to put up. Hojgaard didn't see it at all, McKibbin barely noticed it. 'Not when I was hitting my shot,' said the Ulsterman. 'I could see it when the other guys were hitting it, and I could see it yesterday for the first time, and it was a little bit different. I'd never seen it before, but it's pretty cool the way it can move and do all those swings.' Open appearance a new Peake An opening 77 left Ryan Peake feeling 'flat' on Thursday but making it to Royal Portrush was some achievement for a guy who had just served five years in a maximum security prison in Western Australia for assault when The Open came here in 2019. A top junior player growing up, Peake became a member of the Rebels bike gang, but returned to golf on his release from jail and qualified for The Open by winning this year's New Zealand Open. Then he got drawn in the same three-ball as Phil Mickelson. Peake admitted to a nervousness at playing in his first major but he made the most of the occasion after carding his six-over round. 'His caddie gave away golf balls as we were walking off the tee and I yelled out, 'what about me?'. And he had a laugh, thought I was being sarcastic, and he said, 'are you serious?' And I said, 'no, I'm deadly serious'. 'I said, 'can you sign a glove as well'? He's your hero growing up. My own boy is out here this week and he loves him as well. I'm not going to ask him on the 1st tee, but I'll ask him after the round.' First things first, this one ain't easy Rory McIlroy and Padraig Harrington weren't the only players trembling at the thoughts of making that tee shot on the first hole on opening day. Players of varying experience and all nationalities had to overcome the same nerves. 'I think most of the guys laid up before the bunkers,' said Matteo Manassero who carded a birdie at it, 'and it leaves you more than 180 yards to an elevated green with a lot of bounce on it. It's not easy to… And that's having hit a good tee shot. 'It's not easy, and it's the first hole. The first hole is always not quite into the round as much, very sharp with understanding the bounces and everything. I guess that's something about it. It's just a hard hole. It's not that easy.' At least this was his seventh Open Championship. Scottish amateur Connor Graham reckoned standing on that first tee was the most nervous he's ever been and still carded a par. So did 20-year old Richard Teder, the first Estonian to play in this tournament, whose take was more stark again. 'A bit crazy on the first hole. I thought I was going to black out. I told myself it's another golf shot. It's a two-iron, my favourite club. The whole day was just unbelievable. The crowds, the fans. It was special.'
