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Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
'I was a gang member and spent five years in one of world's toughest jails - now I'm playing at The Open'
Ryan Peake spent five years behind bars for assault which left the victim with a fractured skull and arms, but he has turned his life around since coming out of prison and is now hoping to make a splash at Royal Portrush Australian golfer Ryan Peake is preparing to write the next chapter of his remarkable redemption story at The 153rd Open Championship this week. In March this year, the left-hander qualified for the fourth and final major of the year, at Royal Portrush, with victory at the 104th New Zealand Open. That first ever professional victory, on his Asian Tour debut, took place a little over 10 years after a conviction and five-year jail sentence for assault aged just 21. A promising youth golfer, Peake had lost his way and became a member of a notorious motorcycle gang in Australia. Having fallen out of love with the game, Peake signed up to become a member of The Rebels. It became an all-consuming love affair and brotherhood, where differences with rival gangs were settled with their fists. "How did it unfold?' Peake says when asked about how he ended up inside. "Basically it was the life I was living. Someone else out there was living the same sort of lifestyle and was making threats. I'm not saying it's right I've gone and beat someone up but I haven't gone and beat up a dad who's just doing nothing on his front lawn. 'He was a person that was living my lifestyle. I'm not justifying it. But that's how we would speak to each other. I mean, meet their character with your character and whatever prevails from there. He was doing some bad things, we had knowledge then he made some pretty heinous threats. "So we went to deal with it. Honestly, it wasn't meant to happen like that. We were generally just going there for a chat. He was probably going to get a couple of punches, that's it. It just happened to be the threats he threatened us with were true. He was armed and it escalated from there." The victim ended up with a fractured skull and fractured arms. When the police came to arrest him, he held his hands up immediately. "It was my choices that I made that led me to there." Now 31, Peake warmed up for his big date in Northern Ireland with a T33 finish behind ultimate champion Scott Vincent at International Series Morocco, the fourth of 10 elevated Asian Tour events that offer a pathway onto the LIV Golf League. Things could have been even better too – Peake sat T12 following a five-under third round of 68. It's a remarkable recovery, from the lows of incarceration to the highs of elite competitive golf against some of the world's best. It is one that may not have happened at all had Peake not been contacted by former coach Ritchie Smith while in jail. Smith, who works with fellow Australians such as PGA Tour winner Min Woo Lee and sister Minjee Lee, a three-time major champion among others, wrote to Peake while in prison to offer words of encouragement for a player he had worked with as a 17-year-old. Peake responded with an apologetic letter of his own, and from that point on, his future changed. Peake explained: 'For someone of his calibre to reach out to someone like me and pretty much drag me out of the trenches, you know, it doesn't speak volumes on me, it speaks volumes on him.' 'There was obviously a lot of changes that we had to make, there were vigorous programmes set out. It was up to about a five-year plan, and, yes, he believed we could do it. He pretty much worked out the mapping and the planning of what we were going to do, and I just stuck with it.' Peake admits the mental aspect was the more challenging as he plotted his climb back to the top following his eventual release in 2019. It took a number of years and a lot of sacrifices and graft before he earned full playing privileges on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia for the 2024-2025 season, and that life-changing victory in New Zealand. He said: 'I had already got pretty fit in there, so it was more just mental - basically going from not having any real aspirations in life to then trying to basically tell yourself, while still in prison, that you are going to become a professional golfer. You know there's a bit of mental work to get there.' Your team can only push you so far and tell you so much, and the rest of it, you have to start to believe in it yourself. It did take me some time, but I got there in the end!' The left-hander was full of praise for the opportunities being offered by the Asian Tour and The International Series. He said: 'At the moment, I'm fresh out here on the Asian Tour.' 'Events like these (International Series Morocco) attract high profile names. You are on the Asian Tour, which is a great tour, but then when you have major champions playing as well, and the elevated prize purses, it just gives it that added significance. These 10 events are growing the Asian Tour massively. 'I'm out here trying to play the best golf that I can, and whatever those pathways provide me, the more the merrier. Definitely, I'm chasing every single pathway that there is.' Looking ahead to his chances in Northern Ireland this week, he added: 'A lot of this stuff wasn't on the programme. But, you know, obviously I am excited to play. I don't think I really know how big it is, to be honest, but obviously once I get there and sort of have a bit of a look around, it'll probably hit me a little bit more.' Teeing it up alongside Peake are three players from the LIV Golf League who earned their places via the Open Qualifying Series at International Series Macau presented by Wynn. Macau champion Carlos Ortiz, the Torque GC player, is joined by 2018 Masters champion and 4Aces GC star Patrick Reed plus Jason Kokrak of Smash GC for the tournament which gets underway on Thursday. Building on his victory in Macau, Ortiz has continued to impress with a T4 finish at the U.S. Open and three top-10 performances in Miami, Korea, and Virginia. Reed has also been in red-hot form since then, placing third at this year's Masters and securing a win at LIV Golf Dallas. Kokrak, meanwhile, recently posted a solid T10 finish in Andalucía ahead of the final Major of the year.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Meet The Open's most unlikely star: Ryan Peake spent five years in one of Australia's toughest jails for a vicious assault - now the former motorbike gang member is revving up for the tournament of his lifetime
The most remarkable stories emerge during the week before The Open but none will be as startling as the one Ryan Peake is about to tell. Peake is a 32-year-old from Perth, Australia. He was a contemporary of Cameron Smith, the 2022 Champion at St Andrews, and grew up as prodigy with rare gifts; he's built like a heavyweight boxer and booked his ticket for Portrush by virtue of a fabulous win in the New Zealand Open. But golf isn't going to be on the agenda much during the next hour, as we talk in a room adjacent to the 18th fairway. Peake will talk about taking a swing but this one, in 2014, ended with him being sentenced to five years in prison, part of which was spent in Hakea, one of Australia's toughest jails. Having fallen out of love with golf, Peake signed up to become a member of The Rebels, a motorcycle group. It became all-consuming, a brotherhood that had their own code of conduct. Differences between rival gangs often get settled with fists but this went too far. Way too far. 'How did it unfold?' Peake asks. 'Basically it was the life I was living. Someone else out there was living the same sort of lifestyle and was making threats. I'm not saying it's right I've gone and beat someone up but I haven't gone and beat up a dad who's just doing nothing on his front lawn. 'He was a person that was living my lifestyle. I'm not justifying it. But that's how we would speak to each other. I mean, meet their character with your character and whatever prevails from there. He was doing some bad things, we had knowledge then he made some pretty heinous threats. 'So we went to deal with it. Honestly, it wasn't meant to happen like that. We were generally just going there for a chat. He was probably going to get a couple of punches, that's it. It just happened to be the threats he threatened us with were true. He was armed and it escalated from there.' One of Peake's associates was wielding a baseball bat and the victim ended up with a fractured skull and fractured arms. When the police came to arrest him, he held his hands up immediately. Honesty is a value he holds dearly and it leaps out of every word he says. Jail, clearly, left a mark. You can see it in his eyes as he talks about Hakea, in Perth; the trauma of being in a single occupant cell with another man for company; the sights, the sounds, the smells, the potential to be humiliated by prison officers. 'It was bad,' he admits. 'But I have the saying: if you don't like the accommodation, don't book the reservation. I booked that one for myself. So I can't sit here and say, you know, it's pretty appalling. It's more appalling for the fact of there's limited space. They try and cram so many people in. 'They're just way too overpopulated. And I think the whole justice system, essentially, yeah, you've done a crime. You go to jail. I don't argue with that. But going to jail is to try and rehabilitate you to come out as a better person. 'And by putting people in, I guess, places like that, where it's disgusting, you're treated unfairly, it's overpopulated, three people in a cell where there's only meant to be one, it's disgusting. That's not necessarily rehabilitating you. 'That's making you more p****d off. And you're probably going to come out an angry person as well because you've just been treated like c**p. Not all of them, but some of them are. But in saying that as well, it was my choices that I made that led me to there.' But now he is out and thriving. Golf provided a chink of light in the darkness, a worthwhile cause to pursue. He needed to ask permission, remarkably, from the leaders of The Rebels to be able to concentrate on the sport once again – he couldn't commit to long national rides, from Perth to Adelaide, if he was playing in a tournament – but they gave him the green light. But he now has the opportunity of a lifetime - or at least 'the biggest tournament' of his year When Peake first picked up a club after six years, the rust was dreadful and the shot he hit was, in his words, '****', but he has persisted. Good people around him have kept him moving forward and now he arrives in the North of Ireland ready for an unforgettable experience. The journey here has been fraught – he travelled on a British passport, which he obtained thanks to his father, as obtaining a Visa with a conviction on an Australian document would have been unlikely – but the very fact he will tee up on Thursday is another calling point on the road to redemption. 'I'm not trying to be a role model or be someone's superhero,' he says. 'I'm just basically living the best life I can, and whatever people see from that, that's what they see. I don't feel self-conscious. I put in some hard work to try and get to where we are today. I've earned being here. 'I guess it's going to be the biggest tournament I play for the year. If I didn't have other big events to play in, I'd probably be a little bit more overwhelmed by it all. But after this week's done, I'm back to other major tours. This week's a big opportunity, but it's not going to determine my future either.'
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
The dramatic story behind Open star and former biker gang member's five-year prison spell for brutal attack on rival
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RYAN PEAKE was just completing a five-year jail sentence for a brutal assault the last time The Open was played at Portrush. Now, incredibly, the former biker gang member is one of the players battling for the Claret Jug this week. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 11 Ryan Peake will be playing at The Open at Portrush Credit: Getty 11 He won the New Zealand Open back in March Credit: Getty 11 He was previously a member of a biker gang Credit: Instagram @ryanpeakegolf 11 He was jailed in 2014 after attacking a rival gangster Credit: Instagram @ryanpeakegolf Peake, 31, was jailed at the end of 2014 after an attack on a rival gangster that left the victim with a fractured skull and two broken arms. Then just 19, the Australian was joined by at least two other men from Perth-based biker club The Rebels in the assault. He has always refused to reveal who else was involved and was the only one charged with the crime. One of them was armed with a baseball bat - with Peake saying that was because they had been warned their target was armed - and had been making threats towards The Rebels. Speaking yesterday at Portrush, Peake said: 'He was doing some bad things and we had knowledge of that - and then he made some pretty heinous threats towards us as well. 'So we just went to deal with it and honestly it wasn't meant to happen like that. 'We were genuinely just going there for a chat, he was probably going to get a couple of punches along the way, and it would have been left at that. 'That sounds harsh, but this person lived the same lifestyle as us. The only way you can get through is to speak that language. 'It just happened to be that the threats that he made towards us were true, and he was armed. It escalated from there. That's it 'I'm not saying it's right that I've gone and beat someone up. But I haven't gone and beat up your dad.' Two rushed to hospital after golf course fireworks display goes terrifyingly wrong near Taylor Swift's Cape Cod home Peake delivered the first kick and The Rebels rained blows on their victim. A few weeks later, three unmarked police cars turned up in the car park of the Lakelands Golf Club - where Peake helped out his greenkeeper dad - to arrest him. He was already a professional golfer by then. But after a stellar amateur career - where he represented Australia in junior tournaments alongside 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith - he became disillusioned with the game, and decided he loved the "camaraderie" of the local biker gang. 11 Peake has turned his life around since being behind bars Credit: Instagram @ryanpeakegolf 11 He gave golf another go after serving his time Credit: Instagram @ryanpeakegolf 11 His win in New Zealand landed him a spot at The Open Credit: Getty 11 Peake grew up playing alongside 2022 Open champ Cameron Smith Credit: Getty And despite admitting he found prison life tough, he shows little signs of remorse for the crime that led to him being locked up. He added: 'Jail was bad, real bad. 'Strip naked, take a shower in front of the guards and then you're crammed into a tiny box with two other guys. 'When they turned out the light that first night I thought to myself 'What the hell have you gotten yourself into?' 'But if you don't like the accommodation, don't make the reservation. 'Look, I did something bad, I've owned it and tried to move on. 'I've turned my life around, but I don't want to be looked at as some kind of role model or superhero. I just want to look to the future rather than the past. 'But I don't hide away from my past. It happened and the best thing I can do is to be honest about it. Strip naked, take a shower in front of the guards and then you're crammed into a tiny box with two other guys. Ryan Peake 'If people want to know how it happened, I try to give them an insight into what my life was like back then.' When Peake was coming to the end of his jail sentence he was contacted by his former coach Ritchie Smith, who asked him if he wanted to give golf another shot. Smith, who has guided Minjee Lee to three Major titles and also coaches her younger brother PGA Tour winner Min Woo Lee, describes Peake as 'a real talent'. He said: 'I had lost touch with Peakey after he left golf and didn't know what happened to him. That's not the person I knew. 'I called because I was genuinely worried about him. He's a good kid. He just f***ed up.' Even without his criminal record, Peake would not resemble the average golfer. He is heavily muscled and even more heavily tattooed. But he showed he could still hit a ball by striping it on the range in front of Smith, and then shot 66 in his first round back at Lakelands. After working his way through the mini tours, he hit the jackpot in March, winning the New Zealand Open - a victory that earned him a place in The Open line-up. 11 He must get special permission to travel outside Australia Credit: Getty 11 He described his New Zealand Open win as 'life-changing' Credit: Getty 11 The 153rd Open Championship will take place at Royal Portrush Credit: Getty He also proposed to his girlfriend that week on a helicopter ride around Queenstown - she said yes - so it is a week he will never forget. Travelling abroad can be difficult for ex-convicts. But flying to Northern Ireland to join pals Smith and Lee at Portrush presented no problems for Peake, because he holds a British passpost. He added: 'I've got that passport because my dad was born in England and his family moved to Australia when he was about three. 'I don't know which part of England, but he's still got family there and my parents have been catching up with some aunts and uncles and whatnot before they fly from London over here. 'My record does cause some problems, and we have to jump through a few more hoops than most people when it comes to getting visas. 'My manager is three for three so far, and hopefully he'll keep up that strike rate. 'But just because I'm in The Open, it doesn't mean I feel I've made it now. 'I'm not there yet, not where I want to be. The first goal this week is to make the cut, play my game and see where it takes me. 'That applies to the future too. I've got my card to play over here on the DP World Tour by finishing second on the money list back home, and now I just want people to accept me for who I am.'
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
The dramatic story behind Open star and former biker gang member's five-year prison spell for brutal attack on rival
RYAN PEAKE was just completing a five-year jail sentence for a brutal assault the last time The Open was played at Portrush. Now, incredibly, the former biker gang member is one of the players battling for the Claret Jug this week. 11 11 11 11 Peake, 31, was jailed at the end of 2014 after an attack on a rival gangster that left the victim with a fractured skull and two broken arms. Then just 19, the Australian was joined by at least two other men from Perth-based biker club The Rebels in the assault. He has always refused to reveal who else was involved and was the only one charged with the crime. One of them was armed with a baseball bat - with Peake saying that was because they had been warned their target was armed - and had been making threats towards The Rebels. Speaking yesterday at Portrush, Peake said: 'He was doing some bad things and we had knowledge of that - and then he made some pretty heinous threats towards us as well. 'So we just went to deal with it and honestly it wasn't meant to happen like that. 'We were genuinely just going there for a chat, he was probably going to get a couple of punches along the way, and it would have been left at that. 'That sounds harsh, but this person lived the same lifestyle as us. The only way you can get through is to speak that language. 'It just happened to be that the threats that he made towards us were true, and he was armed. It escalated from there. That's it 'I'm not saying it's right that I've gone and beat someone up. But I haven't gone and beat up your dad.' Two rushed to hospital after golf course fireworks display goes terrifyingly wrong near Taylor Swift's Cape Cod home Peake delivered the first kick and The Rebels rained blows on their victim. A few weeks later, three unmarked police cars turned up in the car park of the Lakelands Golf Club - where Peake helped out his greenkeeper dad - to arrest him. He was already a professional golfer by then. But after a stellar amateur career - where he represented Australia in junior tournaments alongside 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith - he became disillusioned with the game, and decided he loved the "camaraderie" of the local biker gang. 11 11 11 11 And despite admitting he found prison life tough, he shows little signs of remorse for the crime that led to him being locked up. He added: 'Jail was bad, real bad. 'Strip naked, take a shower in front of the guards and then you're crammed into a tiny box with two other guys. 'When they turned out the light that first night I thought to myself 'What the hell have you gotten yourself into?' 'But if you don't like the accommodation, don't make the reservation. 'Look, I did something bad, I've owned it and tried to move on. 'I've turned my life around, but I don't want to be looked at as some kind of role model or superhero. I just want to look to the future rather than the past. 'But I don't hide away from my past. It happened and the best thing I can do is to be honest about it. Strip naked, take a shower in front of the guards and then you're crammed into a tiny box with two other guys. Ryan Peake 'If people want to know how it happened, I try to give them an insight into what my life was like back then.' When Peake was coming to the end of his jail sentence he was contacted by his former coach Ritchie Smith, who asked him if he wanted to give golf another shot. Smith, who has guided Minjee Lee to three Major titles and also coaches her younger brother PGA Tour winner Min Woo Lee, describes Peake as 'a real talent'. He said: 'I had lost touch with Peakey after he left golf and didn't know what happened to him. That's not the person I knew. 'I called because I was genuinely worried about him. He's a good kid. He just f***ed up.' Even without his criminal record, Peake would not resemble the average golfer. He is heavily muscled and even more heavily tattooed. But he showed he could still hit a ball by striping it on the range in front of Smith, and then shot 66 in his first round back at Lakelands. After working his way through the mini tours, he hit the jackpot in March, winning the New Zealand Open - a victory that earned him a place in The Open line-up. 11 11 He also proposed to his girlfriend that week on a helicopter ride around Queenstown - she said yes - so it is a week he will never forget. Travelling abroad can be difficult for ex-convicts. But flying to Northern Ireland to join pals Smith and Lee at Portrush presented no problems for Peake, because he holds a British passpost. He added: 'I've got that passport because my dad was born in England and his family moved to Australia when he was about three. 'I don't know which part of England, but he's still got family there and my parents have been catching up with some aunts and uncles and whatnot before they fly from London over here. 'My record does cause some problems, and we have to jump through a few more hoops than most people when it comes to getting visas. 'My manager is three for three so far, and hopefully he'll keep up that strike rate. 'But just because I'm in The Open, it doesn't mean I feel I've made it now. 'I'm not there yet, not where I want to be. The first goal this week is to make the cut, play my game and see where it takes me. 'That applies to the future too. I've got my card to play over here on the DP World Tour by finishing second on the money list back home, and now I just want people to accept me for who I am.'
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
The dramatic story behind Open star and former biker gang member's five-year prison spell for brutal attack on rival
RYAN PEAKE was just completing a five-year jail sentence for a brutal assault the last time The Open was played at Portrush. Now, incredibly, the 11 Ryan Peake will be playing at The Open at Portrush Credit: Getty 11 He won the New Zealand Open back in March Credit: Getty 11 He was previously a member of a biker gang Credit: Instagram @ryanpeakegolf 11 He was jailed in 2014 after attacking a rival gangster Credit: Instagram @ryanpeakegolf Peake, 31, was jailed at the end of 2014 after an attack on a rival gangster that left the victim with a fractured skull and two broken arms. Then just 19, the Australian was joined by at least two other men from Perth-based biker club The Rebels in the assault. He has always refused to reveal who else was involved and was the only one charged with the crime. One of them was armed with a baseball bat - with Peake saying that was because they had been warned their target was armed - and had been making threats towards The Rebels. READ MORE ON GOLF Speaking yesterday at 'So we just went to deal with it and honestly it wasn't meant to happen like that. 'We were genuinely just going there for a chat, he was probably going to get a couple of punches along the way, and it would have been left at that. 'That sounds harsh, but this person lived the same lifestyle as us. The only way you can get through is to speak that language. Most read in Golf 'It just happened to be that the threats that he made towards us were true, and he was armed. It escalated from there. That's it 'I'm not saying it's right that I've gone and beat someone up. But I haven't gone and beat up your dad.' Two rushed to hospital after golf course fireworks display goes terrifyingly wrong near Taylor Swift's Cape Cod home Peake delivered the first kick and The Rebels rained blows on their victim. A few weeks later, three unmarked police cars turned up in the car park of the Lakelands Golf Club - where Peake helped out his greenkeeper dad - to arrest him. He was already a professional golfer by then. But after a stellar amateur career - where he represented Australia in junior tournaments alongside 11 Peake has turned his life around since being behind bars Credit: Instagram @ryanpeakegolf 11 He gave golf another go after serving his time Credit: Instagram @ryanpeakegolf 11 His win in New Zealand landed him a spot at The Open Credit: Getty 11 Peake grew up playing alongside 2022 Open champ Cameron Smith Credit: Getty And despite admitting he found prison life tough, he shows little signs of remorse for the crime that led to him being locked up. He added: 'Jail was bad, real bad. 'Strip naked, take a shower in front of the guards and then you're crammed into a tiny box with two other guys. 'When they turned out the light that first night I thought to myself 'What the hell have you gotten yourself into?' 'But if you don't like the accommodation, don't make the reservation. 'Look, I did something bad, I've owned it and tried to move on. 'I've turned my life around, but I don't want to be looked at as some kind of role model or superhero. I just want to look to the future rather than the past. 'But I don't hide away from my past. It happened and the best thing I can do is to be honest about it. Strip naked, take a shower in front of the guards and then you're crammed into a tiny box with two other guys. Ryan Peake 'If people want to know how it happened, I try to give them an insight into what my life was like back then.' When Peake was coming to the end of his jail sentence he was contacted by his former coach Ritchie Smith, who asked him if he wanted to give golf another shot. Smith, who has guided Minjee Lee to three Major titles and also coaches her younger brother PGA Tour winner Min Woo Lee, describes Peake as 'a real talent'. He said: 'I had lost touch with Peakey after he left golf and didn't know what happened to him. That's not the person I knew. 'I called because I was genuinely worried about him. He's a good kid. He just f***ed up.' Even without his criminal record, Peake would not resemble the average golfer. He is heavily muscled and even more heavily tattooed. But he showed he could still hit a ball by striping it on the range in front of Smith, and then shot 66 in his first round back at Lakelands. After working his way through the mini tours, he hit the jackpot in March, winning the New Zealand Open - a victory that earned him a place in The Open line-up. 11 He must get special permission to travel outside Australia Credit: Getty 11 He described his New Zealand Open win as 'life-changing' Credit: Getty 11 The 153rd Open Championship will take place at Royal Portrush Credit: Getty He also proposed to his girlfriend that week on a helicopter ride around Queenstown - she said yes - so it is a week he will never forget. Travelling abroad can be difficult for ex-convicts. But flying to Northern Ireland to join pals Smith and Lee at Portrush presented no problems for Peake, because he holds a British passpost. He added: 'I've got that passport because my dad was born in England and his family moved to Australia when he was about three. 'I don't know which part of England, but he's still got family there and my parents have been catching up with some aunts and uncles and whatnot before they fly from London over here. 'My record does cause some problems, and we have to jump through a few more hoops than most people when it comes to getting visas. 'My manager is three for three so far, and hopefully he'll keep up that strike rate. 'But just because I'm in The Open, it doesn't mean I feel I've made it now. 'I'm not there yet, not where I want to be. The first goal this week is to make the cut, play my game and see where it takes me. 'That applies to the future too. I've got my card to play over here on the DP World Tour by finishing second on the money list back home, and now I just want people to accept me for who I am.'
