Ryder Cup fan to sue organisers after losing sight in her eye

Ryder Cup fan blinded for life

A spectator who was struck by a golf ball during last week’s Ryder Cup has lost the sight in her right eye and plans to sue the tournament’s organisers.

Frenchwoman Corine Remande, who lives with her husband in Egypt, travelled to Le Golf National in Quentin-en-Yvelines to watch Europe’s finest golfers take on their American counterparts.

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But on Friday she was hit in the face by a shot from Team USA player Brooks Koepka that veered left as it left the sixth tee. “It looked like it hurt,” the 28-year-old American said afterwards.

Treatment

Remande, 49, was treated to medics at the scene as a concerned Koepka looked on, before being transferred to hospital. However, doctors were unable to save her sight.

According to Sky Sports, X-ray scans revealed a “fracture of the right socket and the explosion of the eyeball”.

Surgeons succeeded in sewing the eyeball back together but were unable to restore her vision, Remande confirmed yesterday.

Her husband said that “in the best-case scenario, she may be able to see shapes after the bruising eases in a month or so”.

In an interview with Paris-based news agency AFP, the Frenchwoman said she intends to seek legal redress from the tournament organisers, claiming they failed in their duty of care to spectators in the gallery.

Poor organisation

“Quite clearly, there is responsibility on the part of the organisers,” Remande said. “Officials did not shout any warning as the player’s ball went into the crowd.”

Remande says she bears no malice towards Koepka, and “appreciated the gesture” of the American rushing to her side immediately after the accident.

“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.”

Remande will discuss her options with a legal team today but told AFP that she wants compensation. “More than anything, I want them to take care of all the medical bills to make sure there is no risk of infection,” she said.

Contacted by the press for a reaction to Remande’s injury, the EPGA - the body that governs European golf - promised to “investigate” the incident but cautioned that it could “take some time”.