"I had lost vision completely in my left eye" – Golf prodigy Jeffrey Guan gives major injury update after freak accident

By Rohit Yadav

Modified Oct 31, 2024 12:00 GMT

2024 - Webex Players Series Sydney - Day 2 - Source: Getty — Jeffrey Guan (Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images)

Australian golfer Jeffrey Guan has given a major injury update after a freak accident. Last month, the 20-year-old injured his eye when a golf ball hit it at a pro-am event at the New South Wales Open qualifier.

Many have predicted that Guan would be Australia's next Cam Smith. He recently competed at the PGA Tour's Procore Championship. Remembering the unfortunate incident, Guan said (via Golf NSW):

"I remember this: As my whole group teed off on the third tee, my playing partner and I (whom I shared the cart with) hit our drives on the right-hand side of the fairway.I drove up to his ball, and he hit his 2nd shot (about 30 metres behind my ball)."

After he had hit, there was no sign of anyone or anything on our side behind us, so I drove us to my ball. It took roughly 45 seconds for me to prepare and execute my shot. As I turned towards the cart to put my club away, that was when I was struck," Jeffrey Guan added.

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Guan was rushed to Moruya Hospital as his injury was severe. He was later airlifted to Canberra for emergency treatment and then to intensive care in Sydney. He underwent two surgeries for his eye injury. He also suffered fractures that extended into his cheek and forehead.

"My eye pressure was way too high to be in any state of ordinary, and I had lost vision completely in my left eye. I couldn’t do much; sleeping was difficult, let alone walking or eating. Any activity that required energy meant I was in excruciating pain," Jeffrey Guan said.

Jeffrey Guan's eye pressure returned to normal in the third week of treatment. However, further treatment is required as the recovery is expected to be long. He hasn't lost hope and said he'll do his best to achieve his dreams:

"I will continue to work hard and do my best to achieve my dream. These four weeks have been the toughest of my life, but I am stronger mentally and will be ready to conquer any obstacle in the future. Again, I can’t thank everyone enough who reached out to help rebuild my strength physically and emotionally. I will be back," Jeffrey Guan added.

Guan was born on July 19, 2004, and started playing golf early.

A look at Jeffrey Guan's past results

Gary Barter is Jeffrey Guan's coach. Guan is a member of the NSW Boys Team and State Team. At 12, he became a Bexley Club Champion and received a scholarship from The Australian Golf Club. He won the 2021 Australian Boys Junior competition and finished runner-up at the Australian Men’s Amateur Championship in the same year.

In 2022, Guan became a quarterfinalist at the US Junior Amateur. Last year, he won the Avondale Amateur. Here's a look at his performances and accolades in his amateur career:

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