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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Maryam Kara

Australian golfer Jeffrey Guan vows comeback after losing sight in left eye in freak accident

Australian golfer Jeffrey Guan has vowed to return to professional golf despite permanently losing sight in his left eye after a freak accident at a pro-am tournament last month.

The 20-year-old was struck in the face by a ball after his second shot in the third hole.

"As I turned toward the cart to put my club away, that was when I was struck. The instant ringing and pain rushed to my head, and I dropped down the ground,” Guan shared in an Instagram post.

He revealed he suffered “several fractures around the eye socket” and “had lost vision completely in my left eye”, adding he was given fentanyl for the pain before being rushed to hospital.

He was then airlifted to a facility in Canberra for immediate treatment and, a day after, transferred to Sydney where he underwent further treatment and surgery.

After two weeks in intensive care, Guan is now focused on making a comeback.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the incident, he said that doctors believe it’s unlikely he’ll regain sight in the eye, but he remains determined to return to elite-level play.

“As a kid, I always had a lot of perseverance,” he told BBC Sport. “Obviously, there are going to be many obstacles in the way. But the quicker you can get over them, the stronger you will be. That’s the philosophy mentally for me, and I guess that has been to my advantage so far.”

"I want to play back at the top level professionally. That's the main goal for me," he added

The two-time national junior champion had only been a pro for a year, and was struck just a week after he made his PGA Tour debut at a California tournament.

While Guan has not said where the ball that hit him came from, Golfing Monthly reported it was "an errant tee shot".

Guan received the news his eye pressure suddenly decreased towards the norm, he said, but he was advised by doctors recovery would take between six months and a year.

He added the news left him distraught, angry and “drowned in thoughts” about his future playing golf, and that he received “very little good news” in the four weeks since the accident.

However, he told his followers he decided to continue after the support of loved ones and that the past month has left him stronger mentally.

“I can’t thank everyone enough who reached out to help me rebuild my strength physically and mentally. I will be back,” he said.

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