Just last week, Jeffrey Guan was making his debut on the PGA Tour at the Procore Championship, with the 20-year-old dubbed as one of Australia's future stars.
However, on Friday at the NSW Open regional qualifier, Guan was involved in a freak accident when one of the tee shots from the participants in the pro-am reportedly struck the Australian with an errant tee shot.
In a statement from the PGA of Australia, it read: "NSW professional Jeffrey Guan has been transported to hospital in Canberra after being struck by a golf ball during a pro-am event at Club Catalina yesterday.
"Jeff was hit just below his eye, and received treatment on course, before being transferred to Moruya Hospital for scans. He was then airlifted to Canberra to be assessed by an eye specialist.
"The 20-year-old, who played his first US PGA Tour event last week, is a member of the Golf NSW High Performance & Golf Australia Rookie Squad, The PGA of Australia, Golf NSW and Golf Australia wish to thank everyone who assisted Jeff following the incident and wish him all the best with his recovery. We would ask people to respect the family’s privacy at this time, and we will endeavour to provide updates on his condition in due course."
Statement - Jeffrey GuanNSW professional Jeffrey Guan has been transported to hospital in Canberra after being struck by a golf ball during a pro-am event at Club Catalina yesterday. Jeff was hit just below his eye, and received treatment on course, before being transferred…September 21, 2024
Along with the statement from the PGA of Australia, Paul Davis, Guan’s coach, told Australian Golf Digest: “Obviously there are fears he may lose some vision but we won’t know the full extent until he goes to Sydney for further assessment. It’s truly awful … this was actually the first pro-am Jeff has ever played in. It’s just the worst possible news after such an amazing week in California.”
At last week's Procore Championship, Guan shot a first round 69, but a second round of 75 meant he missed the cut in California. Flying back to his home country, the 20-year-old was playing a NSW Open qualifying event, which offers a spot in the 2024 NSW Open Championship, which features the likes of former Major winner, Cameron Smith.
