(Reuters) - Australian Jeffrey Guan said he would continue to pursue his dream of playing on golf's biggest tours despite permanently losing sight in his left eye after being hit in the face by a ball last month during a tournament.
The 20-year-old suffered fractures to his left cheekbone and eye socket after being hit during a Pro-Am tournament in September. He has since had two surgeries and will not be able to play for at least six months.
The incident came just a week after Guan made his debut on the PGA Tour in the Procore Championship.
In a statement on Thursday, the PGA of Australia said Guan had permanently lost vision in his left eye. The golf governing body and the Australian Sports Foundation (ASF) have launched an online fundraiser to raise $500,000 for Guan.
"As you can imagine, this whole situation not only came at a tremendous cost but has also significantly affected me and my family emotionally and mentally," Guan said in a statement.
"The thought of all my years of hard work and training, plus my family's sacrifice, had just been thrown out the window.
"I will continue to work hard and do my best to achieve my dream. These four weeks have been the toughest of my life, but I am stronger mentally and will be ready to conquer any obstacle in the future... I will be back."
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
