Woman blinded by stray ball at Ryder Cup sues
Corine Remande, 49, lost an eye at the Ryder Cup when a tee shot by Brooks Koepka on the sixth hole hit her. Remade was standing by her husband when the ball struck. She is now blind in one eye, although with her eyeball (no, it’s not the golf ball; they checked) now stitched up, there is a chance she will regain some sight, albeit minimal.
“It happened so fast, I didn’t feel any pain when I was hit,” she said. “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… They told me I’d lost the sight in my right eye, and this was what was confirmed to me today.”
Grim stuff. And now she’s suing the PGA European Tour. When I first read that I thought she must be an American, it being the American way to reach for the lawyer and find blame. But she’s French. “Quite clearly, there is responsibility on the part of the organisers,” she says. “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.”
That seems fair. Why should she pay? Golf is not a poor sport. The PGA European Tour, who run the Ryder Cup, can afford it. And Remade sounds like a good sport. When Koepka dashed over to comfort her, she was selfless. “I tried to stay positive with him so that he didn’t lose his concentration,” she said. “But once I was taken away, I didn’t hear anything from the organisers.”
Being hit with a golf ball whilst watching the golf is not all that uncommon. Ryder Cup winner Rory McIlroy once hit three people during one round at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. “When you see blood, the one on 18 shook me a little bit, but she reassured me she was okay,” said McIlroy. “It’s never nice. I remember playing the final round here in 2014, and Pablo Larrazabal hit a lady on the left-hand side of 11 and basically didn’t hit a shot for the rest of the round. It’s tough. You can say sorry and maybe give them a glove but that’s not going to do anything for them. I’m just thankful my ball didn’t go where it was heading and I just hope they’re okay.”
A hit on the head is nasty. How many fingers am I holding up? Yep. FORE!
Posted: 2nd, October 2018 | In: Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
