A FORMER motorbike gang member who spent five years in prison has qualified for the Open Championship.

Ryan Peake, 31, won the New Zealand Open on Sunday to bank himself a whopping £99,500 winner’s cheque.

He recorded a final-round bogey-free 66 to finish on 23-under-par.

And the one-stroke victory in Queenstown also secured him a spot at the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush.

However, he will need special permission to be granted clearance to travel to the UK for the July major.

That is because Peake spent half a decade behind bars after being convicted of serious assault.

He said after securing victory: “I’m pretty lost for words at the moment, I’ve just changed my life.

“This is what I do. I want to be here and just play golf. The story is what it is, but I’m just out here playing golf.

“It’s one hell of a story, one hell of a moment.”

The Australian started playing golf aged ten and was one of the country’s best juniors who starred alongside 2022 Open champ and compatriot Cameron Smith, even winning the Trans-Tasman series together in New Zealand.

But his life spiralled downwards when he quit golf in his late teens and joined the notorious Rebels bikie gang, deemed a criminal organisation by the Australian government.

In 2014, the burly Aussie – then aged just 21 – was sentenced and locked up for his crime.

Peake ballooned in size during his time in prison, maxing out at 130kg.

But golf has provided a route back on to the straight and narrow after his behaviour when he was “young and stupid”.

Prestigious golf coach Ritchie Smith got in contact with Peake during his time in jail, urging the once-promising youngster to dust off his clubs when he was released from custody.

Wary he did not want to become a charity case, Peake – who initially worked in mines after serving his time – took Smith’s suggestion seriously and the pair’s working relationship has blossomed.

Now the Australasian Tour rookie has got hold of what had been an elusive maiden title.

Heavily-tattooed Peake said: “It’s life changing. I always knew I could do it, it was just a matter of time when I was going to do it.

“My coach, my family, my team, everyone believed. Most of all, I believed as well.

“[Fellow Australian golfer] Elvis Smylie was in the same predicament not too long ago and our coach, Ritchie Smith, said it was going to switch and that you’ve just got to commit to it.

“He had the same chat with me and we set out some goals when I missed the cut at the Aussie Open and the Aussie PGA.”

The lefty only arrived at Millbrook Resort on Tuesday due to delays over visa paperwork issues because his criminal record means he can only travel abroad with special dispensation.

He played both courses for the first time on Wednesday, then produced rounds of 67, 64, 64 and 66 to clinch the New Zealand Open.

Peake was on the verge of tears as he sunk a 10ft par putt and celebrated the significant moment with friends and family.

Now he sits second on the PGA Tour of Australasia order of merit and could pip pal Smylie to top spot.

Peake added: “I think just by getting here, I’d kind of already won, because it was just like another monkey off the back, just getting another stamp on that passport for me

“I can’t get a visa to travel here, so I’ve got to travel on a special direction order.

“It got granted on the Monday but it took three flights from then that I couldn’t get on.

“But credit to New Zealand Immigration as well.

“I thought I was getting stonewalled and wasn’t going to be getting here but they were actually doing everything in the background to get me here.”

Now Peake will be desperately hoping to get his entrance to the UK approved in good time so he can tee it up alongside the world’s best golfers on his major championship debut in Northern Ireland this summer.