{"id":30457,"date":"2025-12-03T01:43:33","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T06:43:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/03\/despite-being-blind-in-one-eye-he-met-mcilroy-in-australia\/"},"modified":"2025-12-03T01:43:33","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T06:43:33","slug":"despite-being-blind-in-one-eye-he-met-mcilroy-in-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/03\/despite-being-blind-in-one-eye-he-met-mcilroy-in-australia\/","title":{"rendered":"Despite being blind in one eye, he met McIlroy in Australia."},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/03\/despite-being-blind-in-one-eye-he-met-mcilroy-in-australia\/#Fortnite_and_COD_%E2%80%93_Games_help_adapt_Guan\" >Fortnite and COD &#8211; Games help adapt Guan<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/03\/despite-being-blind-in-one-eye-he-met-mcilroy-in-australia\/#How_did_he_survive_his_comeback\" >How did he survive his comeback?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Jeff Guan was climbing the professional golf ladder rung by rung.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Earning a card on the DP World Tour was the next logical move. And his rise to the top was stripped away.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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&#8217;s summer golf crown jewel, alongside the likes of Masters champion Rory McIlroy and Australian Major winners Adam Scott and Cameron Smith.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s very exciting to play in events like this, especially with so many DP World Tour pros coming to Australia,&#8221; Guan told BBC Sport.<\/p>\n<p>advertisement<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s good to see where you are on the field and test where your game is.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Guan&#8217;s return to the elite level is a story of incredible courage and perseverance.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"content-list\">\n<li\/><\/ul>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I remember falling to the floor and feeling a throbbing pain in the upper left side of my head,&#8221; he recalled.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Guan was immediately taken to hospital in Canberra, where a CT scan revealed his fractured eye socket required immediate surgery.<\/p>\n<p>advertisement<\/p>\n<p>The next day he was transferred to Sydney Eye Hospital for a second operation, where he spent two weeks in intensive care.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Some days it was difficult to get out of bed. Others couldn&#8217;t bear to look at their golf clubs.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve always loved golf and I&#8217;ve been playing golf all my life, so to have it suddenly taken away from me was mentally tough,&#8221; said Guan, who was told within a few days that the vision in that eye would not return.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLuckily, after a few weeks I felt like I was OK and started walking again and strength training my body.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>advertisement<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fortnite_and_COD_%E2%80%93_Games_help_adapt_Guan\"><\/span>Fortnite and COD &#8211; Games help adapt Guan<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Guan remembers the rehabilitation process as a series of &#8220;baby steps&#8221; on the long road back to the golf course.<\/p>\n<p>Three months after his second surgery, he picked up a club for the first time and did some gentle chipping and putting.<\/p>\n<p>He had to patiently stack his bags, and after about three more months he was able to take full swings with the driver.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;My first thought was, &#8216;Wow, my club is so long,'&#8221; Guan said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I hadn&#8217;t played in six months, so I felt very awkward holding the club and wanted to stand too high.<\/p>\n<p>advertisement<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know if I would be able to play again, but as the sessions continued and I practiced more, I started to see results.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Experts gave Guan a series of vision therapy exercises to strengthen his right eye and encouraged him to play console games.<\/p>\n<p>Competing against online opponents in Marvel Rivals, Fortnite, Rainbow 6 Siege, and Call of Duty added a fun element to the rehabilitation process.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Games help with hand-eye coordination and increase peripheral vision awareness. I just love games so it helps,&#8221; Guan said.<\/p>\n<p>His change in depth perception made it particularly difficult to play out of the bunker, where grounding the club would incur a penalty.<\/p>\n<p>advertisement<\/p>\n<p>After hearing Guan&#8217;s story, visually impaired golfers from around the world who reached out via social media offered important tips.<\/p>\n<p>I improved my sand game by squinting my right eye to block out surrounding objects and using the sun&#8217;s shadow to locate the club.<\/p>\n<p>When Guan began putting, he noticed that his reading of the greens was &#8220;terrible.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;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&#8217;m seeing,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>advertisement<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I still normally read the ball or the putt behind the hole and quickly use my aimpoint to see if it&#8217;s correct.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_did_he_survive_his_comeback\"><\/span>How did he survive his comeback?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Even when my training and practices were going well, it was 50-50 whether I should take another year off,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Guan wears prosthetic eye covers to cover his eyes while playing to make him feel &#8220;100 percent confident&#8221; in front of others.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Guan said his return was fueled by self-motivation, but he also believes the overwhelming support of the golf community provided further encouragement.<\/p>\n<p>A recent video message from Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood, whom Guan described as his &#8220;idol&#8221;, was a particular source of inspiration.<\/p>\n<p>advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Fleetwood will not be playing in the Australian Open, but Guan is cautiously dreaming of the possibility of competing alongside Fleetwood in the future.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;d love to be on the DP Tour or the PGA Tour as a member, but right now I&#8217;m just focusing on the Australian schedule and working my way up from there,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;d like to say that (getting a tour card) is a goal, but it&#8217;s too early to say.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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. advertisement Earning a card on the DP World Tour was the next logical move. And his [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28335,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[17],"class_list":{"0":"post-30457","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golf","8":"tag-golf"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}