The Americans just can’t escape the horror of this year’s Ryder Cup. But the humiliating defeat is the last thing on Brooks Koepka’s mind right night, after he drilled 49-year-old French woman Corine Remande in the right on on his par-4 sixth hole tee shot at Le Golf National near Paris, France, sending her to the hospital.
A scan revealed that Remande’s right eye-socket is fractured and that her eyeball suffered an “explosion.” She is reportedly permanently blind in her right eye.
The woman told BBC Sport that she could have died if the ball had hit her in the side of the head rather than in the eye socket.
“For me, it’s finished. I could not speak with you,” she said.
“The doctor said immediately to my husband that it was a very big explosion in my eye and it was impossible for me now to see again with this eye. I don’t know how to live with only one eye. I like walking, sport, going to the gym and playing golf.”
Remande, who reportedly is sticking to her plan of pursuing legal action against the Ryder Cup organizers, claims the course did not give her sufficient warning of the incoming ball.
“They did not [shout fore]. To make a show, the organizers moved the tees forward on the sixth hole to allow the big hitters to reach the green in one shot,” she said.
“Without warning the spectators, the public cannot see the players and anticipate and protect themselves. That’s why I’m angry.
“We have now filed a complaint in order to have answers to our questions, to challenge all the organizers on behalf of the safety of the public.” [via VT]
After the incident, a Ryder Cup spokesperson released the following statement:
“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.”
Speaking Wednesday at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Koepka described the freak accident as “one of the worst days of my life,” adding he was “heartbroken.”
This is an “oh damn” face if I’ve ever seen one:
Read more: https://t.co/iUtxJ3XKpz pic.twitter.com/4UJQuPRUHw
— euronews (@euronews) October 3, 2018
While Remande basically signed her rights away in purchasing a ticket, let’s hope the Ryder Cup does the right thing in helping her out. Because a signed glove from Brooks Koepka isn’t going to unexplode her eye.
[h/t BBC Sport]
