Australian golfer Jeffrey Guan has lost sight in his left eye after being hit by a ball in a freak accident at a pro-am tournament last month.

The incident happened a week after the 20-year-old had made his debut on the PGA Tour.

Guan had surgery in New South Wales and spent two weeks in intensive care after being transferred to Sydney for a second operation.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the accident, he revealed doctors said he is unlikely to ever regain vision in the eye.

Nevertheless, Guan – who had been playing professionally for a year – is targeting a return to the elite level of the game.

“As a kid, I always had a lot of perseverance and persistence. I will continue to work hard and do my best to achieve my dream,” Guan wrote in a statement.

“I will be back.”

Guan is a two-time Australian junior amateur champion, following in the footsteps of major champions Adam Scott, Jason Day and Cameron Smith by winning the title.

He then achieved a long-held dream by making his PGA Tour debut, at the Procore Championship in California, playing in a field featuring American Ryder Cup pair Wyndham Clark and Max Homa, plus English former Masters champion Danny Willett.

Guan had recently signed a deal with sports agency Sportfive, who also represent Spanish former world number one Jon Rahm.

A week after his Tour debut, he was back in New South Wales playing the pro-am at Catalina Club – where the unthinkable happened.

Having hit his second shot from the third fairway, Guan turned towards his buggy to put the iron back in his bag.

“That was when I was struck,” Guan said.

“The instant ringing and pain rushed to my head, and I dropped to the ground.”

Guan said there has been “very little good news” in the four weeks since the incident.

He revealed the extent of the damage on Thursday after receiving a full assessment from eye specialists.

“These four weeks have been the toughest of my life, but I am stronger mentally and will be ready to conquer any obstacle in the future,” he added.