A promising golfer has been rushed to hospital in Australia after being accidentally struck in the face by a ball on the course.
Jeff Guan, who made his PGA Tour debut last week, was taken to the hospital after the accident occurred at Catalina Club in Batemans Bay, Australia, on Friday.
Guan had been competing at the NSW Open regional qualifier event when he was the unfortunate victim of a freak accident. The 20-year-old was accidentally struck by a stray shot from one of his Pro-Am partners during the qualifying event.
Medics rushed to the scene to treat Guan on the golf course, before he was airlifted by helicopter to the medical facility in Canberra for emergency eye surgery.
According to Australian Golf Digest, the youngster suffered multiple fractures to his eye socket and it is not yet known whether there will be permanent damage to his eyesight, which could jeopardise his fledging career in the sport.
Paul Davis, Guan’s coach, was disconsolate after witnessing the incident and admitted there are concerns Guan’s vision could be affected as he undergoes further tests.
“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,” Davis told the outlet.
“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.”
The PGA Tour of Australia released a statement confirming Guan would visit an eye specialist to examine the damage and sent their well wishes to the youngster on his path to recovery.
It read: “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.“
The Australian golfer – currently ranked 989th kn the world – made his first appearance on the PGA Tour start at the Procore Championship in September.
He missed the cut after finishing on even-par with a score of 144 across 36 holes. However, he has been earmarked for a bright future in the game.
Guan became the only Australian to represent the International team in the 2022 Junior Presidents Cup and built on his promise when he secured top-25 finishes in both the Australian PGA Championship and the Australian Open in 2023.
