A rising golf star’s life has been turned upside down after a freak incident during a tournament in Australia.
Jeffrey Guan was competing at a pro-am event in New South Wales when he was hit in the face by a ball while putting his club away in a golf car on the third hole.
When the incident first happened, it was reported the 20-year-old sustained a fracture in 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 he was struck by the ball, Guan was taken to hospital for scans before being airlifted to Canberra where he underwent immediate treatment and was assessed by an eye specialist.
“I had my first surgery that night,” Guan said on Instagram.
“I was in unbearable pain, and anxiety about my future was swirling in my mind. A day later, I was transferred to the Sydney Eye Hospital to undergo another surgery, 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 critical to make sure my eyeball was stable.
“My eye pressure was way too high to be in any state of ordinary, and I had lost vision completely in my left eye.”
Guan added sleeping, walking and eating all became ‘difficult’ tasks and 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 has his eye pressure ‘suddenly decreased towards the norm’, but was informed the recovery process would last ‘at least six months to a year.’
“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.
“As you can imagine, this whole situation not only came at a tremendous cost but has also significantly affected me and my family emotionally and mentally.”
He continued: “As a kid, I always had a lot of perseverance and persistence. I will continue to work hard and do my best to achieve my dream. I will be back.
“Hearing experiences from other athletes that have also made themselves a career with other injuries, injuries that could have been more severe than mine, has also given me that thought of, ‘I can still make it, and, I can still practise and try to be even better than I was before’.
“These four weeks have been the toughest of my life, but I still have that motivation to get back out there and try to play on the biggest tours and play my best golf.”
Guan’s life-altering injury occurred one week after he made his US PGA Tour debut at the Procore Championship in California in September.
His score of 69 and 75 was not enough to make the cut but it provided him with valuable experience.
Guan had also signed a deal with sports management company Sportfive, who boast Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson as clients, in August.
