Jeff Guan’s Comeback: From Devastating Injury to the Australian Open Spotlight
Jeff Guan was on a steady rise through the ranks of professional golf-one step at a time, one swing closer to the sport’s biggest stages. A two-time Australian amateur champion with a PGA Tour debut already under his belt, Guan had signed with the same management agency that represents Jon Rahm.
His next move? Earning a spot on the DP World Tour.
Everything was lining up.
Then, in a split second, everything changed.
Just a week after his U.S. debut in September 2024, Guan’s career-and life-took a shocking turn. During a Pro-Am event in New South Wales, a stray golf ball struck him in the face, permanently blinding him in his left eye. For a 21-year-old with the golf world at his feet, the incident could have been the end of the road.
Instead, it became the start of an extraordinary comeback.
A Return to the Game He Loves
This week, Guan is teeing it up at the Australian Open-Australia’s premier golf tournament-alongside some of the sport’s biggest names. Masters champion Rory McIlroy is in the field.
So are Aussie major winners Adam Scott and Cameron Smith. And right there with them is Guan, back on the course, back in the mix.
“Playing these events, especially with so many DP World Tour pros coming over to Australia, is so exciting,” Guan said. “It will be good to see where I'm placed in the field and test where my game is at.”
That he’s even here is remarkable.
The Injury That Changed Everything
The accident happened at the Catalina Club. Guan had just hit his second shot from the third fairway and was walking toward a buggy to return his club.
Then-impact. A golf ball struck the left side of his head.
He dropped to the ground immediately, pain radiating through his skull.
He was rushed to a hospital in Canberra, where a CT scan revealed a fractured eye socket. Emergency surgery followed.
The next day, he was transferred to Sydney Eye Hospital for a second operation and spent two weeks in intensive care. When he was finally discharged, he couldn’t leave his room.
Doctors needed to stabilize the eye pressure and prevent any foreign particles from entering the area.
Some days, Guan couldn’t even look at his golf clubs. Other days, he couldn’t get out of bed.
“I've always loved golf and played it my whole life,” he said. “So having it stripped away all of a sudden was mentally challenging.”
Within days of the accident, doctors confirmed what Guan feared: he would never regain sight in his left eye.
One Step at a Time
But Guan didn’t stay down for long. A few weeks later, he was cleared to begin light physical activity.
He started walking again. Then came body strength work.
Eventually, he picked up a golf club.
The recovery wasn’t dramatic-it was incremental. Three months after his second surgery, Guan began chipping and putting. A few months after that, he was swinging the driver again.
“My initial thoughts were ‘wow, my clubs are so long,’” he said. “I hadn’t been playing for six months and gripping the club felt really awkward. I wanted to stand way too tall.”
There was no guarantee he’d be able to play competitively again. But session by session, Guan started seeing results. Slowly, his confidence returned.
Gaming as Therapy
Interestingly, video games played a surprising role in his recovery. Guan’s rehab included vision therapy drills to strengthen his right eye-and yes, gaming was part of the plan. Titles like Marvel Rivals, Fortnite, Rainbow 6 Siege, and Call of Duty helped sharpen his hand-eye coordination and improve peripheral awareness.
“Gaming helps with some hand-eye coordination and increase of peripheral vision awareness,” he said. “It helps that I love gaming anyway.”
Adapting His Game
Losing vision in one eye changes everything in golf-especially depth perception. Bunker shots became a major challenge, where grounding the club isn’t allowed and precision is everything. Guan leaned on advice from visually impaired golfers around the world who reached out to him through social media.
He began squinting with his right eye to block out distractions and used shadows to gauge where the club was in the sand. It helped.
Putting was another obstacle. Reading greens became a guessing game.
Even obvious breaks were tough to see. So Guan turned to Aimpoint-a method that uses feel and slope reading with the feet to confirm what the eyes see.
“I still read a putt normally behind the ball or the hole,” he said. “Then I will use Aimpoint quickly to make sure it’s right.”
Back in the Arena
With his game progressing, Guan faced a big decision: return to pro golf now or take more time off? He had a two-year medical exemption, but after talking it over with his team and family, he decided that sitting out any longer might set him back too far.
“Even when training and practising was going well, I was 50-50 if I should take another year off,” he said. “I felt two years out of golf was too long.”
He now wears a prosthetic cover over his left eye when playing, which helps him feel more comfortable in public and on the course.
His first tournament back came at the Northern Territory PGA Championship in August. He missed the cut, posting rounds of 74 and 73. But two weeks later, he made a statement-finishing tied for 10th at the Western Australia PGA Championship, fueled by a final-round 66.
Fueling the Fire
Guan says self-motivation has been the driving force behind his comeback, but the support from the golf community has meant the world. One message, in particular, stood out: a video from Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood-one of Guan’s idols.
Fleetwood won’t be in the field this week, but Guan allows himself to dream about someday playing alongside him.
“I would love to be part of the DP Tour or PGA Tour as a member,” he said. “But right now I’m just focusing on the Aussie schedule and playing my way up from there.”
He’s not making any bold proclamations. No guarantees. Just a quiet determination to keep climbing.
“I want to say [earning tour cards] is a target,” he added, “but it’s still very early to tell.”
Jeff Guan’s journey isn’t just about a return to golf-it’s about resilience, reinvention, and the kind of mental toughness that can’t be taught. He’s not just swinging a club again.
He’s swinging with purpose. And this week, at the Australian Open, the golf world gets to see just how far he’s come.