Bayleigh Teepa-Tarau, a 12-year-old with autism who played with borrowed clubs, won gold at one of New Zealand’s most prestigious youth sporting events.
A 12-year-old boy with autism won a national golf competition in New Zealand after having played only three full rounds of golf.
Bayleigh also helped his school secure the team title last week, the first group AIMS win in any sport for his school since 2008. For the second round, Bayleigh scored 25 points for nine holes, and for the last hole, Bayleigh came within inches of an eagle — extraordinary feats for someone who began playing six months ago but had practiced less than 50 hours combined.
Whetu Wiremu, a teacher aide who is Bayleigh’s golf coach and served as his caddie during the AIMS, said he himself just took up golf 10 months ago. After he was told that Bayleigh used to carry around a golf stick everywhere he went when he was little, Whetu, on a “whim,” decided to recruit the quiet boy to his newly founded school golf team.
When he first met Bayleigh in 2021, Wiremu “really didn’t notice” the boy, who rarely spoke in class. “He was kind of like standoffish for me,” Wiremu said, adding that he really started to open up and smile more this year “because I’ve got him into sports finally.”Bayleigh’s autism may have played a role in his keeping calm and being unbothered by bad shots, Wiremu said.to have fun. And if he wins or does a good job in it, then that’s just a bonus,” Wiremu said.
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