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Spectator left "blind in o...

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Spectator left "blind in one eye" after being hit by golf ball at Ryder Cup

98FM
98FM

09:54 2 Oct 2018


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A fan injured when she was struck with a golf ball at last weekend's Ryder Cup claims she has lost sight in her right eye.

Corine Remande had traveled to France from Egypt with her husband Raphael to watch the event.

A tee shot from Brooks Koepka veered left on the sixth hole and smashed her in the right eye.

US Open champion Koepka apologised to Remande following the incident.

Remande also criticised the tournament organisers for “not making contact” with her following the incident. She plans to consult a lawyer later with a view to seeking damages.

She told AFP that there was no warning from officials before the ball hurtled into the gallery.

“Doctors told me I had lost the use of that eye, the scan on Friday confirmed a fracture of the right eye-socket and an explosion of the eyeball.”

Koepka though claims he did sound a warning but speaking in the immediate aftermath of the incident suggested it may have been a fruitless exercise:

“The problem is, you shout ‘fore’ but from 300 yards, how are you supposed to hear it? How are you supposed to know?” he told reporters.

The EPSGA, the co-organiser of the event, have launched an investigation. Koepka rushed Remande's aid as she lay bleeding on the ground in blood, she noted that the gesture was ‘appreciated’.

He said he ‘felt terrible’, and missed a number of shots afterwards because he was ‘so shaken’

Ms Remande's husband offered more detail on her injuries: "In the best case scenario, she may be able to see shapes after the bruising eases in a month or so."

"It doesn’t feel good. It really doesn’t,” Koepka said of the incident.

“You feel terrible for them. You know exactly how they are feeling, especially when you’ve got to go over there and apologise.

“You don’t want to hit anybody in the face, especially not a woman, and it’s not a good feeling. It looked like it hurt. She was bleeding pretty good. It looked like it hit her right in the eye, so hopefully there’s no, you know, loss of vision or anything like that.

“It’s not a fun feeling, and I probably do it way more than I should. It seems just about every week we’re hitting somebody, and you know, it’s unfortunate because you’re never trying to.

“It’s hard to control a golf ball and especially for 300 yards. A lot of times, the fans are very close.”

In a statement released to Press Association Sport, a Ryder Cup spokesperson said: "It is distressing to hear that someone might suffer long-term consequences from a ball strike.

"The spectator hit by a ball at the sixth hole during Friday's play was treated by first responders immediately and taken to hospital.

"We have been in communication with the family involved, starting with the immediate on-course treatment and thereafter to provide support, helping with the logistics of repatriation, including providing a transfer for the family from Paris to Lyon. We will continue to offer support for as long as necessary.

"Ball strikes are an occasional hazard for spectators but this kind of incident is extremely rare. We can confirm that 'fore' was shouted several times but also appreciate how hard it can be to know when and where every ball is struck if you are in the crowd.

"We are hugely sympathetic and will do everything we can to support the spectator, insofar as that is possible under very difficult circumstances."


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