Golf prodigy loses his sight in a freak accident a week after his PGA Tour debut

A rising golfer’s life is turned upside down after a bizarre incident during a tournament in Australia.

Jeffrey Guan was competing in a pro-am event in New South Wales when he was hit in the face by a ball while stowing his club in a golf cart on the third hole.

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When the incident first occurred, it was reported that the 20-year-old suffered a fracture to his left cheekbone and eye socket.

But Guan, a former Australian junior amateur champion like Adam Scott and Cameron Smith, has now revealed the devastating extent of his injuries in a statement on social media.

Immediately after being hit by the ball, Guan was taken to hospital for scans before being flown to Canberra where he was immediately treated and assessed by an eye specialist.

“I had my first surgery that night,” Guan said on Instagram.

“I was in excruciating pain and worries about my future haunted my mind. A day later I was transferred to Sydney Eye Hospital to undergo another operation, more tests and further treatment.

“The best eye specialists and nurses were arranged for my immediate appointment. After the second surgery, I spent the next two weeks in intensive care. This stay was crucial to ensure that my eyeball was stable.

“My eye pressure was far too high to be in a normal state, and I had completely lost the vision in my left eye.”

Guan added that sleeping, walking and eating all became “difficult” tasks and that he was in “excruciating pain” whenever he did an activity that required energy.

The Australian received a positive update from doctors in the third week after the incident ‘suddenly lowered his eye pressure to normal’, but was told the recovery process would take ‘at least six months to a year’.

“During my nights in the hospital, I was almost drowning in thoughts about the injury and my future in the sport,” Guan said.

‘Not only was I completely distraught by the news I had received, but the whole situation made me very depressed and somewhat angry.

“As you can imagine, this entire situation has not only incurred enormous costs, but has also significantly affected me and my family emotionally and mentally.”

He continued: “As a child I always had a lot of perseverance and perseverance. I will continue to work hard and do my best to achieve my dream. I’ll be back.

“Hearing the experiences of other athletes who have also had careers with other injuries, injuries that could have been more serious than mine, has also given me the thought, ‘I can still make it, and I can still practice and try . to be even better than before’.

“These four weeks have been the toughest of my life, but I still have the motivation to get back out there and try to play on the biggest tours and play my best golf.”

Guan’s life-changing injury occurred a week after he earned his US PGA Tour debut at the Procore Championship in California in September.

His scores of 69 and 75 weren’t enough to make the cut, but it gave him valuable experience.

Guan had also signed a deal with bragging rights sports management company Sportfive Jon Rahm And Phil Mickelson as customers, in August.