Someone’s world can change in the blink of an eye.
Unfortunately for Jeffrey Guan, that’s not always a good thing.
Only one week after making his PGA debut, the 20-year-old golf prodigy suffered a devastating injury when he was struck in the face by an errant tee shot at a pro-am event.
Nearly a month later, the Australian wunderkind has opened up about the incident, revealed that he has permanently lost sight in his left eye.
“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,” Guan wrote on Instagram on Thursday, his first post since the accident.
He described the incident, which occurred on Sept. 20 on the third hole of the NSW Open in Australia.
After hitting a shot down the fairway, Guan turned back towards the cart to deposit his clubs.
“That was when I was struck,” Guan writes. “The instant ringing and pain rushed to my head, and I dropped to the ground.
“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.”
The two-time Australian junior amateur champion was taken to Moruya Hospital for initial scans and then airlifted to Canberra Hospital for surgery.
“A day later, I was transferred to the Sydney Eye Hospital to undergo another surgery,” Guan writes.
Following his second surgery, Guan remained in intensive care for two weeks and struggled to do much, including sleeping, eating or walking. He wrote that any activity that required energy caused excruciating pain.
Guan said that he had “lost vision completely in (his) left eye,” and that he suffered “several fractures around the eye socket and recovery would take at least six months to a year.”
“I almost drowned in my thoughts … all my years of hard work and training, plus my family’s sacrifice, had just been thrown out the window,” Guan writes. “The frustration is unbearable. Why did this happen? How in the world am I supposed to recover…?”
Guan, however, appears to be positive about his future and thanked everyone who has supported him through this ordeal.
“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,” he posted.
“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.”
Guan made his PGA Tour debut at the Procore Championship in September. After shooting a 3-under 69 in his first round, Guan carded a 75 in the second round to miss the cut at even par after 36 holes.
He ended his Instagram post that his first PGA start would not be his last.
“I will be back,” he concluded.