Rising Australian star Jeff Guan opens up his harrowing injury ordeal, future golf plans

Rising Australian golf star Jeff Guan had the world at his feet. But after making his PGA tour debut, tragedy struck. And now he faces months of rehabilitation before he can think of swinging a club again.

A rising star of Australian golf has promised he will return to the sport after losing almost his entire sight in one eye as a result of a freak accident when he was hit by a stray shot.

Jeff Guan, whom many judges consider one of Australia’s brightest prospects since Cameron Smith, has started the long road to recovery after his world was turned upside down when a golf ball smashed into his face during a Pro-Am event on the NSW south coast in September.

The 20-year-old professional golfer had only made his debut on the lucrative PGA Tour in the United States the week before, but faces months of rehabilitation before he can think of swinging a club again.

In his first interview, Guan admitted he has little sight in his left eye – the leading one for a right-handed golfer – but hasn’t given up hope of stepping onto the tee box in another professional tournament.

“I have thought about [hitting a golf ball again],” he said. “I really can’t tell just yet until I get to do it.

“Currently, there’s not much [sight in my eye]. Almost nothing, if I’m being honest. But we’re going to see if we can rely on technology in the future. Right now, we’re trying to save the eyeball.”

Young Australian golfer Jeff Guan has spoken openly about the horrific incident which has derailed his career. Photo: David Tease/Golf NSW.

LIVING HIS PGA DREAM

For every young golfer, it’s a dream to make their first appearance on the PGA Tour, the most famous golfing circuit in the world once dominated by Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Tiger Woods.

Guan’s call came when he was least expecting it.

Having signed with a new management company, Sportfive, he got an excited message on a Saturday morning (AEDT) he had been granted a sponsor’s invite to tee up the following Thursday in California. In his own words, he raced to the airport for the next flight out of Australia.

He played well, shooting an opening round three-under 69 before missing the cut with a 75 the next day. Nevertheless, he was thrilled to have been in the field, the first of hopefully many PGA Tour starts.

“Most kids have loved, or wanted to experience, an event like that,” he said. “I was pretty fortunate to have that as my first event. I was so nervous. It was definitely an experience to remember.”

Such is the life of a professional golfer, he flew straight back to Sydney where he slept like a baby because he had an entire row to himself on the plane.

The day he arrived home, he drove to Wollongong to play in a two-day event and then trekked further down the coast for a NSW Open regional qualifying tournament later that week.

Guan was living his dream – pictured here competing at the 2023 World Amateur Team Championships. Picture: Getty

WRONG PLACE WRONG TIME

Guan had only ever played in one Pro-Am event before, when professional golfers mix with amateurs from the community for a relaxed day on the host course before the real action begins.

“It was just a normal day,” Guan said. “I thought I’d try to get my game ready for the season.”

But on the third hole at the Catalina Club at Batemans Bay – Guan and his group’s sixth of the day – tragedy struck.

He was sharing a cart with one of his playing partners when both hit their drives up the right side of the hole. The amateur, whose distance was considerably shorter than Guan’s, played his second shot. Then they drove up to Guan’s ball with no one else down that side of the hole.

Guan played his second shot, but as he turned around to put his club back in his bag, an errant ball cannoned into the left side of his face.

“It happened so quickly,” he said. “The next thing I remember I was on the ground.

“Then I heard the ambulances coming. I couldn’t even know exactly where the pain was. I just knew it was coming from the top left hand side of my head. I think I was close [to being unconscious]. I remember the voices being really muffled, but I was still conscious.”

He doesn’t know at what distance the ball was struck or how hard it was hit, but onlookers have said it came from about 30 to 40 metres away. Guan wants one thing to be known: he doesn’t blame anyone for the accident.

Guan says he doesn’t blame anyone for the tragic accident. Photo: David Tease/Golf NSW.

EXCRUCIATING PAIN

What happened next was the most frantic 48 hours of his life as he was first rushed to a hospital in Moruya and then airlifted to Canberra, where he underwent emergency surgery.

His parents, including father Ken, who drives an Uber to help the family while supporting Jeff’s golfing career, arrived just before he was wheeled into theatre.

“That whole night, I was just hoping the pain would go away,” Guan said. “I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. It’s like a throbbing pain where it just happens every few seconds. You can’t really do anything. It was excruciating.”

Dosed on heavy painkillers, Guan spent the next few days contemplating what had happened. He was restricted to a diet of mashed potato and apple juice after doctors diagnosed extensive fractures to his eye socket. Crucially, they went to work on saving his eyeball.

Sydney Eye Hospital specialists performed a second round of surgery and said they would need a month to determine the extent of his injuries. He’s still yet to regain sight in his left eye, but Guan remains upbeat about his diagnosis after only in the last fortnight returning to slow walks in the park and playing his favourite video games.

He’s also heartened that one of India’s most famous cricketers, The Nawab Of Pataudi, captained his country in the 1960s despite losing sight in one eye after a car accident. Guan’s sport involves hitting a stationary ball rather than a moving one at speeds of around 140km/h.

“I’m getting to do things that are more normal again,” Guan said. “Even sleeping at night doesn’t hurt as much. Everything feels a lot more normal, which is really positive.”

Indian cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, who lost sight in one eye following a car accident.

KEEPING THE FAITH

Only a couple of years ago, Guan was the recipient of the scholarship named in Smith’s honour and got to visit the 2022 British Open champion at his Florida home, travel on his private plane and trade tips on the course.

His well-wishers in the past month have included cricketing great Steve Waugh to fellow Australian golfers Adam Scott, Jason Day and Min Woo Lee, who sent video messages while playing the recent Presidents Cup. Even his American rivals from the junior Presidents Cup a couple of years ago have reached out in support.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan is aware of Guan’s situation and many golf coaches tipped the Sydneysider, who finished tied for 18th and 21st at the Australian PGA Championship and Australian Open respectively last year as a teenager, to be inside the world’s top 50 within years.

He’s going to start a coaching course to keep his mind active and will await guidance from doctors to when he can potentially pick up a club again.

An Australian Sports Foundation fundraiser has been set up to support Guan’s return to professional golf (Support for Jeffrey Guan | Australian Sports Foundation). The aim is to raise $500,000.

“The main thing is to be positive,” Ken said. “You have to be. There’s no way you can get out of the troubles if you’re not positive enough.

“I totally support him in whatever he does. The first couple of weeks was very difficult, but I’m so happy to see his recovery is going well, especially mentally.”

Said Jeff: “I think it’s one of the main reasons I’ve been so positive, the support I’ve had. I’ve had so many people reach out to help build my strength back up. I’m grateful for everyone that has.

“You’re going to have times when you least expect something like this to happen, but you’ve got to live your life.

“I will be back.”

** Support Jeffrey Guan via his Australian Sports Foundation GoFundMe

Originally published as Rising Australian star Jeff Guan opens up his harrowing injury ordeal, future golf plans