12-year old golfer teeing it up with Pro’s for charity

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Peter Myers can crush a golf ball.

At the age of 12, which is 9 digits higher than his handicap, he can beat me, he can beat you, he can beat almost anyone. Including, it turns out, his favorite podcaster, Riggs, of Barstool Sports, who Peter challenged to a match recently.

And it didn't take long for this match to become an event. More than braggin' rights, it quickly became a way to help others.

"It was just gonna be a golf match, and it turned into this awesome event for charity," Peter told me during a zoom interview. "We donated to Shanerock, to help Shane and a lot of kids who have pediatric cancer."

13-year old Shane Haddad began his first battle with cancer at the age of 3, and his parents Eric and Amy Haddad, members of the St. Ignatius community in Cleveland, established Shanerock to raise money for other families facing the same challenge.

"Instantly, when we would post something (about the match), we would see 80, 100,000 people react, so at that point we talked and felt like we had the opportunity to use our 15 minutes to do something, and being from Cleveland and part of the St. Ignatius family, use it for a Shanerock platform," Mike Myers, Peter's father, said.

Peter, who predicted he'd win in 14 holes, closed Riggs out in 16. This, after overcoming early jitters with the spotlight clearly on him.

"Surrounded by newscasters, a small gallery of fans, a lot of cameras. I got a little nervous for him," Mike says.

"At the start of the match, there were a lot of cameras, so I got a little nervous," Peter says. "But on the back 9 I played my game and shot even par."

In honor of his win, Hyland Software of Westlake donated $10,000 to a Covid Relief Foundation.

And it didn’t stop there. He was hearing from major celebrities, including the Jonas Brothers. And Peter teed it up with PGA Tour pro Kevin Kisner to raise $90,000 for Kisner’s foundation.

“It’s awesome,” Peter says. “We’ve been able to donate to a lot of charities. Just an awesome experience.”

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