Ian Snyman’s bid for the title fell one stroke short on Sunday in the Asian Tour’s New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport at Millbrook Golf Resort in Queenstown, New Zealand as he finished in a three-way share of second.

It was a strong week for Snyman, the only South African in the field, as he closed with a bogey-free five-under-par 66. He made just two bogeys throughout the week, with a first-round 66 containing one of them, and his second-round 65 the other. He carded a 65 in the third round too.

The Australian left-hander Ryan Peake triumphed to complete a remarkable Hollywood-style comeback story. He dramatically holed a 10-foot par putt on the par-three 18th to edge it by one and avoid a play-off with three Asian Tour regulars: his compatriot Jack Thompson, Japan’s Kazuki Higa, and Snyman.

Peake’s brave putt, the final shot of the tournament, saw him fire a final round five-under-par 66 to finish on 23-under in an event jointly sanctioned by the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, and the Asian Tour, in partnership with the Japan Golf Tour.

Ten years ago, at the age of 21, he was jailed for five years for assault. He was a member of the Rebels bike gang, having earlier been a promising amateur golfer. It was while he was in prison that renowned coach Ritchie Smith reached out and asked him whether he wanted to play competitive golf again. It was an offer he wisely accepted. His criminal record gave him visa issues entering New Zealand this week, and he only arrived on Tuesday evening.

“I’ve just changed my life,” said Peake. “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. I always knew I could do it. It was just a matter of time of when I was going to do it.”

Snyman’s showing lifted him to fifth on the Asian Tour Order of Merit behind the leader, Ollie Schniederjans of the United States, after three tournaments.