Jeff Guan was climbing the professional golf ladder rung by rung.
Guan, a two-time Australian amateur champion, made his PGA Tour debut in the United States and was scouted by the same management company as Spanish superstar Jon Rahm.
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Earning a card on the DP World Tour was the next logical move. And his rise to the top was stripped away.
A week after the September 2024 game in the United States, Guan was hit in the face by a stray ball at a pro-am event, permanently losing vision in his left eye.
The 21-year-old from Sydney made a remarkable comeback this week. He is part of a strong field at the Australian Open, the country’s summer golf crown jewel, alongside the likes of Masters champion Rory McIlroy and Australian Major winners Adam Scott and Cameron Smith.
“It’s very exciting to play in events like this, especially with so many DP World Tour pros coming to Australia,” Guan told BBC Sport.
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“It’s good to see where you are on the field and test where your game is.”
A life-changing incident at Catalina Club in New South Wales left a young player fearing he would never be able to swing a club again.
Guan’s return to the elite level is a story of incredible courage and perseverance.
After hitting his second shot from the third fairway, Guan headed to his buggy to put his iron back in his bag. A few seconds later he was hit.
“I remember falling to the floor and feeling a throbbing pain in the upper left side of my head,” he recalled.
Mr Guan was immediately taken to hospital in Canberra, where a CT scan revealed his fractured eye socket required immediate surgery.
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The next day he was transferred to Sydney Eye Hospital for a second operation, where he spent two weeks in intensive care.
When Guan was allowed to go home, doctors insisted he stay in his room to stabilize his intraocular pressure and prevent particles from entering his surroundings.
Some days it was difficult to get out of bed. Others couldn’t bear to look at their golf clubs.
“I’ve always loved golf and I’ve been playing golf all my life, so to have it suddenly taken away from me was mentally tough,” said Guan, who was told within a few days that the vision in that eye would not return.
“Luckily, after a few weeks I felt like I was OK and started walking again and strength training my body.”
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Fortnite and COD – Games help adapt Guan
Guan remembers the rehabilitation process as a series of “baby steps” on the long road back to the golf course.
Three months after his second surgery, he picked up a club for the first time and did some gentle chipping and putting.
He had to patiently stack his bags, and after about three more months he was able to take full swings with the driver.
“My first thought was, ‘Wow, my club is so long,'” Guan said.
“I hadn’t played in six months, so I felt very awkward holding the club and wanted to stand too high.
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“I didn’t know if I would be able to play again, but as the sessions continued and I practiced more, I started to see results.”
Experts gave Guan a series of vision therapy exercises to strengthen his right eye and encouraged him to play console games.
Competing against online opponents in Marvel Rivals, Fortnite, Rainbow 6 Siege, and Call of Duty added a fun element to the rehabilitation process.
“Games help with hand-eye coordination and increase peripheral vision awareness. I just love games so it helps,” Guan said.
His change in depth perception made it particularly difficult to play out of the bunker, where grounding the club would incur a penalty.
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After hearing Guan’s story, visually impaired golfers from around the world who reached out via social media offered important tips.
I improved my sand game by squinting my right eye to block out surrounding objects and using the sun’s shadow to locate the club.
When Guan began putting, he noticed that his reading of the greens was “terrible.”
Guan was unable to judge contours, even when there was a sudden break, and quickly adopted techniques used by many golfers to improve the accuracy of their putting.
“I’m starting to learn aimpoint, where I stand two-thirds of the way through the putt and feel the size of the slope with my feet to see what I’m seeing,” he said.
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“I still normally read the ball or the putt behind the hole and quickly use my aimpoint to see if it’s correct.”
How did he survive his comeback?
After increasing his workload, which included daily practice sessions with his long-time coach Gary Barter at the esteemed Australian Golf Club, Guan had to make a decision about returning to the professional ranks.
“Even when my training and practices were going well, it was 50-50 whether I should take another year off,” he said.
“I have been given a two-year medical exemption, but after talking with my team and my parents, I feel that two years away from golf is too long.”
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Guan wears prosthetic eye covers to cover his eyes while playing to make him feel “100 percent confident” in front of others.
His first tournament back was the Northern Territory PGA Championship in August, but he missed out on the card with rounds of 74 and 73.
Two weeks later, he competed in the Western Australian PGA Championship and shot a 66 on the final day to finish in a shared 10th place.
Guan said his return was fueled by self-motivation, but he also believes the overwhelming support of the golf community provided further encouragement.
A recent video message from Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood, whom Guan described as his “idol”, was a particular source of inspiration.
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Fleetwood will not be playing in the Australian Open, but Guan is cautiously dreaming of the possibility of competing alongside Fleetwood in the future.
“I’d love to be on the DP Tour or the PGA Tour as a member, but right now I’m just focusing on the Australian schedule and working my way up from there,” he said.
“I’d like to say that (getting a tour card) is a goal, but it’s too early to say.”
