Don’t ever stop believing. That is what Jeffrey Guan will be tell anyone who’s lacking confidence or experiencing doubts, on or off the golf course.
After being struck by an errant tee shot during a pro-am in Sydney a little over a year ago, Guan was left blind in his left eye – but he has just fired a final-round 66 at the CKB WA PGA Championship in Australia to claim a top-10 finish.
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This is typically that time of the year when we hear some remarkable stories of pros overcoming the odds to claim a tour card.
However, this is undoubtedly one of the most feel-good stories of the golfing year.
A year ago, an emotional Guan spoke for the first time after the accident, with the young Aussie determined to continue pursuing his dream of playing at the highest level.
Guan, a two-time Australian junior amateur champion, revealed that the golf ball had caused “several fractures around the eye socket” and he “had lost vision completely in my left eye”.
After a period of two weeks in intensive care, the New South Wales golfer – backed by his family and friends, as well as the golfing community – mounted a fundraising effort to help support him and make a return to playing possible.
However, despite being a positive person, he understandably had his doubts about whether that would ever happen.
Incredible stuff from Jeff Guan 👏Firing a 66 in Round 4 of the #WAPGA to claim a T10 finish in his second Tour event back from injury pic.twitter.com/uVlZK6A1kZOctober 12, 2025
Speaking in an interview with Australian Golf Digest, Guan admitted being scared that he would never be able to hit a golf ball again.
“In those first few weeks after the accident, I was just mentally not there – I couldn’t really process what had just happened,” he said.
“Even now, the whole thing is just so hard for me to explain. I genuinely thought that I was going to be out for, maybe, six to eight months, and then with everything changing, I was just so scared that I couldn’t even hit the golf ball.
“But, with so many improvements over that time, it just gave me a bit more confidence.
“Luckily, my swing is still in some sort of shape – even though it might not be the most perfect swing – I still know what it feels like to hit a golf ball.”
It was reported that Guan fired a three-over-par round from the members’ tees in his first official 18-hole round after the accident.
A new training aid has helped with bunker shots, specifically around depth perception, and his latest score shows Guan is making rapid progress.
Austin Bautista recorded a one-shot victory over Jay Mackenzie at Kalgoorlie Golf Course to win the WA PGA Championship, with Guan finishing seven back.
Had it not been for a 74 in the third round, we could be talking about one of the game’s greatest-ever comeback victories.
Guan surely won’t be too downhearted, not after what he’s been through.
