HE may have missed the cut, but nobody left the Northern Territory quite as happy as 21-year-old professional Jeff Guan.
The young Sydneysider completed one of the most remarkable comebacks in golf when he played his first serious tournament, the NT Open, after losing the sight of his left eye in a freak accident on the golf course almost a year ago.
There were times when the rookie professional thought his lifelong dreams had been shattered after an errant golf shot struck him in the eye while playing in a pro-am on the NSW South Coast.
The two-time Australian Junior champion admitted there were times getting back to pro golf seemed a bridge too far as he battled with such a serious injury setback to his fledgling career.
“I think teeing off the first was genuinely a great feeling,” said Guan after completing a first-round three-over 74.
“I wasn’t nervous at all from what I predicted the past couple of days,” Guan said. “There were a lot of mistakes out there and heaps of room for improvement.
“But I’ll definitely take this as a good heads-up for the next couple of days.”
Despite not making the 36-hole cut at the NT PGA, it was a successful comeback to tournament golf for Jeff Guan.
Guan, who was to miss the cut, said it was just crazy to think about where he was . . . both now – and then.
“I didn’t think I would be back playing tournament golf this year,” he said.
“Four months ago, I was in hospital, and I wasn’t even allowed to walk as I had to keep my eye stable.
“I really appreciate all the support that I have received.
“Really that’s what has kept me going.”
Guan said a heavy fog that settled into the course during his first round made it even more interesting.
“I took out my rangefinder on the first tee and I was trying to laser the tree at the back and then all of a sudden it was only eight metres. I’m like, oh, OK. That’s a great start.
“It didn’t help that after I hit the ball. I had no idea where it was either.
“So yeah, it was a bit of a weird, rough start as well as some unfortunate breaks on the fairways on the early holes, but that’s just golf and that’s just the game.
“But hey, that’s why I enjoy it.”
Guan conceded that he would probably never get the sight back in the injured eye.
“I’ve recently had a bit more light perception in the eye,” he said.
“So right now I’ve got a prosthetic cover in front of my eye that I’ve put in, and the perception’s getting a lot better day by day.
“I think that was the first sort of step that I had to overcome, picking up a bottle, driving a car, that sort of stuff before I even had the chance to play golf again.
“It’s very stable at the moment, which is a great sign.
“Hopefully it stays that way.”
The post Comeback on track as Guan returns to tournament golf first appeared on Inside Golf. Australia's Most-Read Golf Magazine as named by Australian Golfers - FREE.
Article Link: https://www.insidegolf.com.au/news/comeback-on-track-as-guan-returns-to-tournament-golf/