The fall of 2024 came with the best news for the 20-year-old Jeffrey Guan. In September 2024, the youngster marked his PGA Tour debut. But little did he know that in a week, his life would face a massive jolt because of an unexpected accident on the course. On September 20, 2024, at the pro-am event at the Catalina Golf Club in Bateman’s Bay, New South Wales, Australia, Guan got unintentionally hit by a ball on his face. The injury turned out to be so brutal that he lost sight in his left eye. 

While the severe injury posed the biggest barrier in his career, the young Australian golfer made sure to overcome the obstacle and make a return to the competitive realm in less than a year. But despite being back on the fairways, the tragic incident that led him to lose an eye left him shattered. Recently, the Aussie star reflected on how challenging it has been for him.

Talking about how it felt for him to be back on the course after recovering from the accident, he told Australian Golf Digest, “I had a lot of mixed emotions going into my first professional event since losing total sight in my left eye. I didn’t know whether to feel nervous or excited. I couldn’t really decipher what I was feeling, but as the round got underway and I started to get my flow back, it felt really nice. Just to be travelling and playing tournaments again and making every shot count – that feeling is pretty much unforgettable for any golfer.”

He further shared how, although he felt nervous, he kept on motivating himself with a pep talk. He told himself, “This is just what you do for a living. You’ve been through this before, even as an amateur or leading up to playing your first professional event as a pro.”

While he has received constant support from his well-wishers and peers, the mental agony of dealing with the pain of losing sight in one eye was beyond expression. While battling against such an injury, life also taught the 21-year-old golfer a lot more about life and himself than he had ever expected. “I have learned a lot about myself during this comeback. First and foremost, I’ve learned just how much I love the game of golf – more than I ever thought I did, which is really saying something. On top of that, just being able to play and identify my strengths and weaknesses on the course has been great because I’ve always been very technical with every area of my golf game.”

Guan also tried to reflect on the silver lining despite all the struggles. “It’s amazing what you can do with one eye. I feel like my driver game has actually improved”, he shared. Alongside that, he also shared how he has been concentrating on keeping himself fit and has also paid special attention to his physiotherapy. “All that was kind of weird to see, especially looking back to a couple months ago, when I couldn’t even get above 112mph clubhead speed, and now suddenly I’m nearly at 120mph. It’s a good feeling to have, that’s for sure”, he added. 

Reflecting on how he has a prosthetic eye, he added, “People have asked me about the eye and how well it looks after the incident. It’s actually a prosthetic eye – a cover. My original eyeball is still there. I won’t be getting any vision back, from what the doctors say, but hopefully I get a bit of light perception.” Jeffrey Guan further shared how the prosthetic eye has helped him to regain his confidence, “To me, it’s just purely how I look. I look in the mirror and actually see myself again, which is a big confidence booster. I didn’t really want to go out to a course and have people look at me weirdly or feel sorry for me, so that was probably one of the main reasons why I got the prosthetic cover.”

As of now, the Guan is looking forward to playing “some good golf” and proving his worth to himself first. “It doesn’t really matter to me where I finish on the leaderboard, as long as I’m happy with where my game’s at…”, shared Guan.

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How Jeffrey Guan found his way back in golf after the tragic accident

Golf can be a cruel game sometimes. And nobody knows it better than the PGA Tour pro golfer, Jeffrey Guan. Last September, Guan was looking to have some fun at a qualifying tournament near Sydney, but it changed his life forever. In one of the most unfortunate accidents, a shot taken by a pro-am partner came straight at him and thudded onto the left side of his face. Immediately, the medical team rushed in to attend to him, and he was later airlifted to the hospital. While he did receive treatment, most heartbreakingly, Guan lost the vision in his left eye.

At that moment, it seemed like his world had stopped. But gradually, as time went by, he began to heal and wanted to continue his golfing journey further. And thankfully, after 11 cruel months of gruelling battle with his mind and body, Guan finally made his way out into the open. Playing at The Australian GC, Guan felt like he got a new lease of life. Now, while he did take 12 long minutes to get to the par-5 18th to read his eagle putt, Guan felt happy. 

In Golf Digest’s August 2025 interview, Guan stated, “I shot four under at The Australian GC, and I’d hit the green in two on 18. It was an easier feeling being on the green and already under par. It was cool.” And that was not all. Trying to describe playing in Australia, Guan stated that it felt ‘surreal.’ He also extended his heartfelt gratitude to all the fans who supported him on the field. “Playing at The Australian GC has been surreal, honestly; there’s so much support and people just encouraging me to keep going. The first couple rounds back, I shot in the mid-70s and shooting under par [was emotional],” he added. Thus, Guan might have lost an eye, but his love and appreciation for the sport have only increased amid challenging times.