A golfer considered one of Australian golf’s brightest young talents has provided an update four weeks after he was hit in the head with a wayward drive.
Jeffrey Guan made his PGA Tour debut at the Procore Championship Sept. 11-14, but just a week later, the 20-year-old suffered a serious fracture to his left cheekbone and eye socket during a pro-am in Australia.
In a statement shared by PGA Australia on Thursday, Guan explained the sequence of events leading up to the accident as well as his long road to recovery.
The accident occurred after Guan and his playing partner hit their drives on the third tee, both of which landed on the right side of the fairway. Guan was struck as he turned to put his club away after his shot.
“The instant ringing and pain rushed to my head, and I dropped to the ground,” he wrote. “Voices sounded pretty muffled, and the next thing I knew, I was in an ambulance being transported to a hospital with skin patches containing high doses of Fentanyl.”
Guan was taken to Moruya Hospital for scans, then airlifted to Canberra for immediate treatment and assessment by an eye specialist. He then underwent two surgeries with doctors at Sydney Eye Hospital working to save the eye.
“My eye pressure was way too high to be in any state of ordinary, and I had lost vision completely in my left eye,” he said. “I couldn’t do much, Sleeping was difficult, let alone walking or eating. Any activity that required energy meant I was in excruciating pain.
“It wasn’t until the third week that I received the news that my eye pressure suddenly decreased towards the norm, and the eye looked much more stable.”
Despite the progress, he has permanently lost vision in his left eye and doctors told Guan that the severe injury would take at least six months to a year to heal. That news was tough for the emerging golfer to hear.
“During my nights in hospital, I almost drowned in thoughts about the injury and my future in the sport. Not only was I utterly distraught by the news I had received, but the whole situation made me very depressed and somewhat angry,” he wrote.
“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. The thought of all my years of hard work and training, plus my family’s sacrifice, had just been thrown out the window. The frustration is unbearable. Why did this happen?”
Guan credited his support group with helping him get through those tough days, and according to his statement, his outlook has significantly improved.
“As a kid, I have always had a lot of perseverance and persistence. 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,” he wrote.
“Again, I can’t thank everyone enough who reached out to help rebuild my strength physically and emotionally. I will be back.”
An Australian Sports Foundation fundraising page has been established to help the young golfer.
