A rising Australian professional golfer has lost complete vision in his left eye after a freak accident during a pro-am in September.
Jeffrey Guan, a 20-year-old former decorated junior who turned pro last fall, revealed the difficult news on Thursday, saying, “There has been very little good news over the past four weeks.”
Guan was struck in the eye by an errant shot from an amateur player in Guan’s group during the Sept. 20 event at Club Catalina in Batemans Bay, New South Wales. Guan, who had just returned to Australia following his PGA Tour debut at the Procore Championship, said he remembers his whole group teeing off on one hole and then he and his cart-mate both playing their second shots.
“As I turned toward the cart to put my club away, that was when I was struck,” Guan said, not detailing what led to a ball being hit behind him. “The instant ringing and pain rushed to my head, and I dropped to the ground. Voices sounded pretty muffled, and the next thing I knew, I was in an ambulance with skin patches containing high doses of Fentanyl.”
Guan was taken to nearby Moruya District Hospital and then airlifted to Canberra to see an eye specialist. He had his first eye surgery that night, and the next day, he was transferred again, this time to Sydney Eye Hospital, where he underwent another surgery and spent two weeks in intensive care.
“I was in unbearable pain, and anxiety about my future was swirling in my mind,” Guan said. “I couldn’t do much; sleeping was difficult, let alone walking or eating. Any activity that required energy meant I was in excruciating pain.”
By the third week, Guan’s eye had become more stable, and the pressure had decreased to near normal levels. Doctors told him that he had several fractures around his eye socket, severe injuries that would take at least six months to a year to completely heal. Guan did not indicate whether his vision loss was permanent, though a fundraising page set up for Guan said that Guan had “permanently lost vision in his left eye.”
That page had already raised nearly $10,000 of its $500,000 goal.
“During my nights in hospital, I almost drowned in thoughts about the injury and my future in the sport,” Guan said. “Not only was I utterly distraught by the news I had received, but the whole situation made me very depressed and somewhat angry. … The thoughts of all my years of hard work and training, plus my family’s sacrifice, had just been thrown out the window. The frustration is unbearable. Why did this happen? How in the world am I supposed to recover, return, and be the same player I was, or even better? I had no idea. I was devastated and felt so lost.”
Guan’s timetable for a potential return to competitive golf is also unknown.
“These four weeks have been the toughest of my life,” Guan added, “but I am stronger mentally and will be ready to conquer any obstacle in the future.”
