One of the country’s most promising young athletes is battling a career-threatening injury after being hit in the eye by a golf ball thrown by his golfing partner.
Jeff Guan, who made his debut on the star-studded PGA Tour a week ago, had to be airlifted to hospital after being hit in the face by the stray golf ball in a strange accident on a New South Wales course on the south coast.
The 20-year-old was seriously injured when the ball, fired by one of his Pro-Am partners, hit him just below the eye while playing at Club Catalina in Batemans Bay during a regional qualifying event for the NSW Open on Friday afternoon.
Paramedics treated Guan at the scene and afterwards was taken to Moruya District Hospital where he underwent scans before being airlifted to Canberra and undergoing surgery on one eye.
Mr. Guan has been a fixture on the sport since his PGA Tour debut at the Procore Championship in California.
He was invited through a sponsor invitation and was previously a Last year he finished in the top 25 of both the Australian PGA Championship and the Australian Open.
The young golfer is ranked 989 in the world and is seen by many as one of the country’s most promising players.
Paramedics rushed to the scene to treat Jeff Guan, who was then taken to Moruya District Hospital before being airlifted to Canberra where he underwent surgery on one eye
Guan was hit in the face by a ball in a freak accident at Club Catalina in Batemans Bay
PGA of Australia and Golf NSW confirmed that a stray ball caused Guan’s injury.
“Jeff was hit just below the eye and received treatment en route before being taken to Moruya Hospital for scans,” the statement said.
He was then flown by helicopter to Canberra, where he was examined by an eye specialist.
The 20-year-old, who played his first US PGA Tour event last week, is a member of the Golf NSW High Performance & Golf Australia Rookie Squad.
The PGA of Australia, Golf NSW and Golf Australia would like to thank everyone who supported Jeff following the incident and wish him the best of luck in his recovery.
“We ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy and we will endeavour to provide updates on his condition in due course.”
Guan turned professional in 2023 and was previously the only Australian to represent the international team in the 2022 Junior Presidents Cup.
The 20-year-old suffered career-threatening injuries when a stray ball fired by one of his Pro-Am partners hit him under the eye during the NSW Open regional qualifying event
There he won the amateur version of The Players Championship on the famous TPC Sawgrass course.
He had told the Sydney Morning Herald At that time, representing his country was a ‘privilege’.
“It is a privilege to represent your country and to play in a high-level event gives you more experience to achieve your goal of playing professionally,” he said.
‘That’s a huge step, because I can learn from players all over the world, and also from the pros we get to see.’