Golf fan loses sight in eye after being hit by drive at Ryder Cup
A spectator at the Ryder Cup who was struck in the face on Friday has reportedly lost the sight in her right eye.
A woman who was struck in the face by an errant drive by Brooks Keopka during Friday’s opening day of the Ryder Cup has reportedly lost the sight in her right eye and is considering legal action.
Keopka’s tee shot at the short par-4 sixth hole at Le Golf National careered into the crowd on the left side of the fairway hitting the woman in the head.
The Guardian is reporting that the woman, Corine Remande, 49, has lost sight in the eye:
One of Koepka’s drives on the opening day of the tournament flew towards the crowd and hit Corine Remande. “Doctors told me I had lost the use of that eye,” the 49-year-old told Agence France-Presse. “It happened so fast, I didn’t feel any pain when I was hit. I didn’t feel like the ball had struck my eye and then I felt the blood start to pour. The scan on Friday confirmed a fracture of the right eye-socket and an explosion of the eyeball.”
Koepka was quick to make his way over to the crowd and apologise to Remande, who was later treated at an eye hospital in Paris. “Quite clearly, there is responsibility on the part of the organisers,” she said. “Officials did not shout any warning as the player’s ball went into the crowd. More than anything I want them to take care of all the medical bills to make sure there is no risk of infection.”
Remande, who had travelled from Egypt to attend the tournament, also criticised the tournament organisers for “not making contact” with her following the incident. She plans to consult a lawyer on Tuesday with a view to seeking damages.
Koepka spoke to Golf Digest on Friday after the incident and felt terrible about the incident:
“You feel terrible for them,” Koepka said. “You know exactly how they are feeling, especially when you’ve got to go over there and apologize, because they are in pain, usually bleeding, and then to hit her in the face is not—you don’t want to hit anybody in the face, especially not a woman, and it’s not a good feeling.”
Given the size of the crowd—an estimated 50,000 fans were expected to be at the course on Friday—and the fact Koepka hit his drive from 300 yards away, all the screams of fore likely were washed out in the din.
“You can yell fore, but it doesn’t matter,” Koepka said. “With the wind blowing and everybody’s got coats on because it’s cold, it’s … fore doesn’t really matter, but we did say it.”
