Australian golf has had its share of courageous plays and comeback tales. Add Jeffrey Guan somewhere near the top of the list.
Less than a year after a freak accident during a pro-am left him permanently blind in his left eye, the Sydney golf prodigy confirmed one of the most courageous returns the game has seen in years – announcing he will rejoin the professional ranks in August.
MORE: Jeff Guan, blind in one eye after freak accident, confirms INSPIRATIONAL comeback to pro golf
In an exclusive story published by Australian Golf Digest earlier this week, Guan revealed he is returning to the fairways at next month’s Tailor-made Building Services NT PGA Championship at Palmerston Golf Course in the Northern Territory.
“I’m hopeful of getting starts in most of the events this season with my status carrying over, but the Northern Territory event is the focus for me right now,” Guan revealed. “I’m excited, but I’m nervous because I don’t know how it’s going to go. I’ve got so many mixed feelings all at once right now – it’s going to be interesting.”
The 20-year-old’s story is already being hailed by Aussie golf legends as a moment that transcends sport, given where his life was 10 months ago. Just days after making his PGA Tour debut in last September’s Procore Championship in California, The Australian Golf Club member returned home to compete in a New South Wales Open qualifier at Club Catalina on the NSW South Coast where the unthinkable happened. Guan had just played his ball and was returning a club back in his bag when a misfired shot from his amateur playing partner left him no time to react. The ball, a fairway wood from close range, shattered his orbital socket and inflicted catastrophic damage to his left eye.
Photo: David Tease/Golf NSW
Guan was airlifted to hospital and underwent multiple surgeries, but the outcome was irreversible – his vision in that eye was lost, along with any chances of a career in the sport. Or so it seemed.
After a careful rehabilitation period, along with some huge fundraising efforts from family, friends and the wider golf community, Guan is ready to do the unthinkable: mix it with the world’s best golfers again.
Among those cheering loudest for the two-time Australian junior champion will be former PGA Tour winner and Fox Sports commentator Brett Ogle, who said Guan’s comeback had the makings of something truly historic.
“Everyone knows how hard golf is using two eyes, let alone one,” Ogle said. “This would be one of sport’s greatest stories if he is able to compete against professionals and be successful. All the very best, Jeff – we are right behind you.”
For Greg Norman, who spent 331 weeks as the world’s No.1 player, Guan’s comeback underscores golf’s ability to inspire in ways few other sports can.
“Wow!” Norman said when he first learned of Guan’s comeback bid. “That’s very impressive. I wish him all the best. Jeff’s story shows golf’s softer, inspirational side that people need to know about.”
It’s a sentiment echoed by Craig Parry, the two-time PGA Tour winner and former Presidents Cup hero who, incidentally, was taught how to play golf by his grandfather, who only had one eye.
“What an inspiring story for all golfers dreaming of making it into the pro ranks and getting the job done,” Parry said. “I wish Jeff all the best. I’m looking forward to watching his career going forward.”
While it’s unlikely to attract the attention of Ben Hogan’s “greatest comeback” following a near-fatal car crash in 1949, or the late, great Jarrod Lyle’s inspiring return to tournament golf after cancer treatment, Guan’s comeback on the PGA Tour of Australasia will make for fascinating viewing. In a sport where the margins are measured in millimetres and the pressure can break even the strongest minds, trying to make a living with only one functioning eye is almost unfathomable. Yet Guan is ready, both mentally and physically, to overcome the obstacles.
“It’s not going to be easy – I can never say this comeback is going to be easy, but as I keep practising and playing, I know I’ll get more and more of a feeling of where I can get to,” Guan says.
For most, simply getting back out on the course will be the biggest win of all.
