{"id":2230,"date":"2025-07-18T04:48:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T04:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/2230\/"},"modified":"2025-07-18T04:48:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T04:48:10","slug":"reformed-aussie-prisoner-ryan-peakes-open-championship-debut-alongside-phil-mickelson-falls-flat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/2230\/","title":{"rendered":"Reformed Aussie prisoner Ryan Peake\u2019s Open Championship debut alongside Phil Mickelson falls flat"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wide-eyed Open debutant Ryan Peake has been given a special gift by his illustrious playing partner Phil Mickelson \u2014 but it was the big Aussie who ended up feeling like a deflated Father Christmas on the unforgiving Royal Portrush<\/a> links.<\/p>\n

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<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

But he made sure he would get a special memento of his big day as he got the 55-year-old fellow \u2018Lefty\u2019 to sign a golf glove and give him his ball after a round when they enjoyed rather different fortunes.<\/p>\n

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today \"Download<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Yet while Mickelson finished on one under, Peake never got going, ending up with a six-over 77 that\u2019s going to make it a real struggle to make the cut.<\/p>\n

\"UnfortunatelyUnfortunately for Peake the round didn’t go according to plan. Credit: Getty<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like I did a couple things all right and kind of didn\u2019t get rewarded for them,\u201d sighed Peake, who\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, I\u2019ve still got tomorrow to try and do something to make this cut, but the whole experience, that\u2019s something that I\u2019ll look on further down the track. I\u2019m here to compete, but I just got beat up out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was, though, an experience he\u2019ll never forget. Even just meeting Mickelson was a thrill.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just introduced himself at the first tee. I don\u2019t think he needs to introduce himself, I was well aware of who he was!<\/p>\n

\u201cBut obviously I was nervous – not because I was playing next to Phil – it\u2019s just, I guess, your first major and things like that. I\u2019ve just got to get better at (handling) that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did \u2018Lefty\u2019 offer him any help? \u201cNo, I would have known I was in a bad place if he\u2019d come over and started offering me help!\u201d smiled Peake.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut no, we chatted. He\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis caddie was giving away golf balls as we walked off the first tee, and I yelled out, \u2018what about me?\u2019, and he had a laugh, thought I was being sarcastic, and said, \u2018are you serious?\u2019 — and I said, \u2018I\u2019m deadly serious!\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, \u2018can you sign a glove as well?\u2019. My own boy is out here this week and he loves Phil as well. I\u2019m not going to ask him on the first tee, but I\u2019ll ask him after the round.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mickelson obliged and the pair will enjoy round two together on Friday. \u201cI\u2019m definitely not counting myself out of it. But yeah, at the moment just pretty flat,\u201d said Peake.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

World No.1 stuns with philosophical monologue: \u2018What\u2019s the point?\u2019<\/p>\n

2 min read<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Aussie champion pulls off epic fightback to lift major trophy<\/p>\n

3 min read<\/p>\n

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