Promising PGA Tour pro 'seriously injured' after being struck in eye by errant Pro-Am shot

Just days after making his PGA Tour debut at the Procore Championship in California, shocking news has emerged that rising Australian talent Jeffrey Guan was struck in the eye by an errant tee shot of a pro-am participant.

The freak accident happened at a NSW Open regional qualifying event at Catalina Club Batemans Bay on Friday.

It was the first-ever pro-am that Guan had participated in. 

According to Australian Golf Digest's Brad Clifton, the 20-year-old was immediately treated on the course by paramedics before being transported to Canberra for emergency eye surgery.

Sources have told Clifton that Guan 'suffered multuple fractures to his eye socket and was at serious risk of permanent damage to his eyesight.'

"Obviously there are fears he may lose some vision but we won’t know the full extent until he goes to Sydney for further assessment," Guan's coach Paul Davis told Australian Golf Digest.

"It’s truly awful… this was actually the first pro-am Jeff has ever played in. It’s just the worst possible news after such an amazing week in California."

Scroll below for the the latest update on Guan's condition, provided by the PGA of Australia...

“NSW professional Jeffrey Guan has been transported to hospital in Canberra after being struck by a golf ball during a pro-am event at Club Catalina yesterday.

"Jeff was hit just below his eye, and received treatment on course, before being transferred to Moruya Hospital for scans. He was then airlifted to Canberra to be assessed by an eye specialist.

"The 20-year-old, who played his first US PGA Tour event last week and is a member of the Golf NSW High Performance & Golf Australia Rookie Squad.

"The PGA of Australia, Golf NSW and Golf Australia wish to thank everyone who assisted Jeff following the incident and wish him all the best with his recovery.

"We would ask people to respect the family’s privacy at this time, and we will endeavour to provide updates on his condition in due course.”

Guan, who is ranked just inside the top 1,000 in the world right now, missed the cut on his PGA Tour debut at the Procore Championship last week. 

According to reports coming out of Australia this season, Guan has been touted by many industry insiders as a 'generational talent'.

This week's NSW Open Golf Regional Qualifying Series is a series of six 36-hole tournaments across the state, offering a prize pool of $50,000 per event, along with qualification into the 2024 NSW Open Championship.