Article added: Thursday 12 September 2024

By Jordan Sing

Peyton Weepu grips the putter, corrects his posture, and aims straight for the hole.

He is cool, calm, and collected on the green.

The 11-year-old is warming up for his first Zespri AIMS Games in Tauranga as the only golfer to represent Wellington’s Discovery School.

And his caddie? Former All Black – and dad – Piri Weepu. 

Peyton has been working hard to compete in the annual week-long sports tournament for intermediate-aged students, which features nearly 13,000 athletes from more than 390 schools across Aotearoa and as far as the Cook Islands and Fiji. 

“Do the mahi, get the treats,” Peyton said, as he bumps his dad’s arm jokingly.

“That’s right m’bro,” Piri said, as he bumps him back. 

Piri has plenty of advice for young athletes.

“You always tell them to focus,” Peyton said. 

Piri quickly points out, jokingly, that that advice is mostly directed at his son. 

But in all seriousness, Piri’s wise words are: “Talent only gets you so far, work ethic gets you further.”

Despite his dad being a famous rugby player, Peyton said Piri wasn’t disappointed he chose golf. “He’s actually the one who got me into this.”

It is the first time Discovery School has entered the AIMS Games, with Peyton – and a netball team – wearing the school badge proudly.

“We wanted to try to get him up here for this experience too,” said Piri, who is a familiar face at AIMS after previously attending the event with his daughters who play netball.

The father-son duo thanked Discovery School for their fundraising efforts and willingness to send a lone golfer up from Wellington.

Golf at the AIMS Games is separated into 9-hole and 18-hole tournaments. As a new golfer, Peyton plays the 9-hole event at Summerhill Estate Golf Course in Pāpāmoa. Being a stroke-play event, he plays three rounds aiming for consistent low scores. 

“You never know, he might start doing 18 holes instead of nine,” Piri said. 

But Peyton thinks differently.

“I'll stick with my nine holes,” he quipped.