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Australian golfer Jeffrey Guan has lost sight in his left eye after being hit by a ball at a pro-am tournament last month.<\/b><\/p>\n
The incident happened a week after the 20-year-old had made his debut on the PGA Tour.<\/p>\n
Guan had surgery in New South Wales and spent two weeks in intensive care after being transferred to Sydney for a second operation.<\/p>\n
Speaking publicly for the first time since the incident, he revealed doctors said he is unlikely to ever regain vision in the eye.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Guan – who had been playing professionally for a year – is targeting a return to the elite level of the game.<\/p>\n
“As a kid, I always had a lot of perseverance and persistence. I will continue to work hard and do my best to achieve my dream,” Guan wrote in a statement. <\/p>\n
“I will be back.”<\/p>\n
Guan is a two-time Australian junior amateur champion, following in the footsteps of major champions Adam Scott, Jason Day and Cameron Smith by winning the title.<\/p>\n
He then achieved a long-held dream by making his PGA Tour debut, at the Procore Championship in California, playing in a field featuring American Ryder Cup pair Wyndham Clark and Max Homa, plus English former Masters champion Danny Willett.<\/p>\n
Guan had recently signed a deal with sports agency Sportfive, who also represent Spanish former world number one Jon Rahm.<\/p>\n
A week after his Tour debut, he was back in New South Wales playing the pro-am at Catalina Club – where the unthinkable happened.<\/p>\n
Having hit his second shot from the third fairway, Guan turned towards his buggy to put the iron back in his bag.<\/p>\n
“That was when I was struck,” Guan said.<\/p>\n
“The instant ringing and pain rushed to my head, and I dropped to the ground.”<\/p>\n
Guan said there has been “very little good news” in the four weeks since the incident.<\/p>\n
He revealed the extent of the damage on Thursday after receiving a full assessment from eye specialists.<\/p>\n
“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 added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n