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A rising Australian golf star who made his U.S. PGA Tour debut last month vowed Thursday to continue playing despite losing sight in one eye after a freak accident on the course.
Jeffrey Guan, 20, was hit in the face by a bullet during a tournament south of Sydney in late September, suffering a serious fracture to his left cheekbone and eye socket.
The PGA of Australia revealed he had “permanently lost vision in his left eye”.
In his first statement since the accident, Guan – a former Australian junior amateur champion like Adam Scott, Jason Day and Cameron Smith – said he was “completely distraught”.
“During my nights in the hospital, I almost drowned myself in thoughts of my injury and my future in the sport,” he said.
“Not only was I completely devastated by the news I had received, but the whole situation made me very depressed and somewhat angry.
“These four weeks have been the most difficult of my life,” he added. “But I am mentally stronger and I will be ready to overcome any obstacle in the future.
“I’ll come back.”
Before the accident, Guan had signed with the same management company that includes big winners Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson.
He received a sponsor invitation to the PGA Tour Procore Championship in California, where he shot a 69 and a 75 to narrowly miss the cut.
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