A spectator who was blinded in one eye when she was hit by Brooks Koepka’s wayward tee shot at the Ryder Cup says she could have died had she been hit on the side of the head.
Corrine Remande, 49, was treated on the scene at the side of the par-4 sixth hole at Le Golf National in Paris, before being taken to hospital where scans revealed an explosion of the eyeball.
“The doctor said immediately to my husband that it was a very big explosion in my eye and it was impossible for me to see again with this eye,” Remande told the BBC.
“I think if the ball arrived in this part of my body [above the right eye, to the side of the head], in this condition, for me it’s finished. I couldn’t speak with you, it’s dead.”
Remande says she didn’t hear any warnings from the marshals before being hit, and is planning on taking legal action against the organisers of the event. Ryder Cup officials said in a statement following the incident that “fore” was shouted several times as the ball travelled towards the crowd.
“I think there are many marshals on the fairways and they have the responsibility to protect [the spectators]. I hope that this terrible accident will improve safety for all the public,” Remande said.
“I have nothing against the player [Koepka] because I play golf and I know golf.”
Koepka, who posted a message to Remande on social media Tuesday, said that discovering what had happened to Remande was one of the worst days of his life.
“There’s nobody that feels worse about this than I did,” said Koepka, in a news conference ahead of a European Tour event Wednesday. “It’s a tragic accident what happened. I mean, I’m heartbroken. I’m all messed up inside. In my career it will be the one shot that I definitely regret.”