'Why did this happen?': Career in the balance for rising star Jeff Guan after 'freak accident'

Australian golfer Jeff Guan has revealed the "anxiety" he's had to endure after a "freak accident" left him without sight in his left eye, potentially putting an end to his professional career.

Guan, 20, suffered serious damage to the eye after he was hit by a golfer in his playing group from a distance of "30-40 metres" while playing in a pro-am tournament at the Catalina club in Batemans Bay last month.

Guan had just played his second shot on the third hole when he turned to put his club in his cart, and was struck by a ball.

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He was rushed to a nearby hospital, and was later airlifted to Canberra and then moved to intensive care at the Sydney Eye Hospital.

He underwent several surgeries, and will need more in the coming months.

Guan, who had made his debut on the US PGA Tour a week earlier, spent several weeks in intensive care with the strained eye under pressure.

"The instant ringing and pain rushed to my head, and I dropped to the ground. Voices sounded pretty muffled, and the next thing I knew, I was in an ambulance being transported to a hospital with skin patches containing high doses of Fentanyl," Guan said in a statement.

"Anxiety about my future was swirling in my mind. I was utterly distraught. It has come at a tremendous cost and has significantly affected me and my family.

"Why did this happen? How in the world am I supposed to recover, return, and be the same player I was, or even better? I felt so devastated and lost."

Specialists told Guan that his recovery would take up to a year, with the rising star still unable to see out of the eye.

He will not be able to swing a golf club for six months with his future as an elite golfer under a cloud.

But he has gained a more positive mindset after the incident and does not hold a grudge against the player who struck the ball.

Guan said he was also undertaking a golf coaching course and would pursue coaching if playing didn't work out.

But he has not given up on pursuing a career in golf.

"Hopefully – I have had people talk to me about other athletes who have played sports with other injuries, not just the eye but even more severe, like the loss of a limb. That shows how people can come around from their injury and recover and still play their sport," Guan told The Sydney Morning Herald.

"I have been thinking about it quite a bit. It might be a six-month to a year recovery, but I am looking forward to getting back into it."