The Tailor-made Building Services NT PGA Championship has been taking place since Thursday morning at the Palmerston Golf & Country Club, on the Timor Sea coast in the north of the country. This is an opportunity for returning 21-year-old Jeffrey Guan to get a taste of competition. He is supported by the tour organization, which has granted him a medical exemption and full playing rights.
A two-time national amateur champion, he lost the sight in one eye on September 20, 2024, during a pro-am round on the sidelines of a competition in his home state of New South Wales. Now ranked 1,690th in the world, the Australian shot a first round of 74 (+3) for his return.
Golf, return
Interviewed after a practice round by the Flushing It podcast, the young man said he had no particular expectations for his results: "I feel really good over the ball, I come here without any particular expectations. I'm trying to enjoy myself and see where I'm at."
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Despite this relaxed atmosphere, he acknowledged a certain tension in the same interview: "I didn't think I'd play again this season. It's strange, I'm excited to play this week and for the upcoming season, but I'm nervous because I haven't played competitively in a while. It's crazy to think that a year ago, I was in the hospital wondering if it was all over."
Among the challenges he encountered on the course, Jeffrey Guan cites in particular in the columns of Golf Digest his difficulty judging distances: "When I lost my vision and my depth perception got really bad, I couldn't even really get a bottle of water in the hospital. It prevented me from getting out any faster. I couldn't walk for a while because I had to keep my eye clean and steady."
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He was touched by the many positive reactions he received during a practice round at the Australian Golf Club: "Playing there was surreal, honestly. There's so much support and people encouraging me to keep going."
During this practice round, he shot 3 under par, hitting the green on the par-5 18th in two, adding an extra dose of emotion.
Jeffrey Guan explains that he survived thanks to the help of his compatriots Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott. He particularly recounts the unwavering support of the 2013 Masters winner: "Min Woo and Adam reached out. Adam is very generous, he's such a role model. His message was like, 'I hope you recover soon, and I want to see you back on tour.'"
He explains that he survived thanks to the perseverance and support of his father, Ken. Ken drove an Uber during his son's recovery to support him. He also explains that he drew strength from the Chinese legend of the Monkey King, Sun Wukong. He interprets this as: "You have to be patient and work hard to get through this."
