Golfer Brooks Koepka ‘heartbroken’ after errant shot blinds woman
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US golfer Brooks Koepka attends injured spectator Corine Remande at the Ryder Cup near Paris.
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CNN
—
He described it as “one of the worst days” of his life after US Ryder Cup star Brooks Koepka discovered his wayward golf shot caused a woman to lose sight in one eye.
The 28-year-old golfer said he was “heartbroken” and “all messed up inside” when Corine Remande revealed the shot that fractured her right eye socket and caused an “explosion of the eyeball” had left her permanently without vision.
“It’s a tragic accident, I’m heartbroken,” Koepka told reporters Tuesday at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St. Andrews in Scotland.
“I’m all messed up inside. It will definitely be the one shot I regret in my career. Yesterday was one of the worst days of my life.”
Koepka said he had reached out to the family and hopes to talk to Remande.
“I’m torn up about it,” he added. “She’s not going to be able to see out of her eye again and I hit the golf ball, it’s upsetting.”
The 49-year-old Remande had traveled from her home in Egypt with her husband to watch the biennial team event between Europe and USA. She was standing to the left of the sixth hole when Koepka’s miscued shot careered into the crowd.
Koepka, whose group reportedly shouted “fore” – the signal to indicate a wayward shot – attended the scene and signed a glove for Remande, admitting he was “shaken” for a few holes.
“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,” Remande told AFP.
She was taken to hospital in Paris and then transferred to Lyon where her family live.
“Doctors told me I had lost the use of that eye,” she said, adding she is considering legal action against tournament organizers to recoup medical expenses.
Alex Noren of Europe celebrates with his teammates after winning his match on the 18th green. Europe won the Ryder Cup, defeating the US team on Sunday, September 30 in Paris, France.
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Team Europe's Tommy Fleetwood celebrates with spectators after winning the Ryder Cup on Sunday.
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Bubba Watson of the US shows emotion following his team's defeat at the Ryder Cup on Sunday.
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Francesco Molinari of Europe, right, celebrates winning the Ryder Cup with team captain Thomas Bjorn on Sunday.
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Ian Poulter of Europe celebrates winning his match on the 18th hole during singles matches on Sunday.
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Ian Poulter of Europe plays his shot from the first tee during singles matches on Sunday.
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Paul Casey of Europe celebrates a putt on the second green during singles matches of the Ryder Cup on Sunday, September 30, in Paris, France.
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Justin Thomas of the US celebrates on the green during singles matches of the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National on Sunday, September 30, in Paris, France.
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Sergio Garcia of Europe plays out of a bunker during singles matches on Sunday.
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Team Europe's Ian Poulter reacts during Day Two of the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National outside Paris on Saturday, September 29.
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Tiger Woods reacts after losing his foursomes match on Day Two of the Ryder Cup on Saturday.
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US supporters attend Day Two of the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National outside Paris.
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Europe's Justin Rose, right, celebrates with teammate Henrik Stenson on the 17th green after winning a foursomes match Saturday.
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Webb Simpson of the United States plays a shot during the afternoon foursomes matches on Saturday, September 29.
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Tiger Woods of the United States plays out of a bunker during the Saturday afternoon foursomes matches.
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European fans applaud Saturday during the foursomes matches.
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Jordan Spieth of the United States reacts to his third shot on the 10th hole during his match Saturday with Justin Thomas against the European team.
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Team Europe's Ian Poulter plays during Saturday's foursomes matches.
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Team Europe's Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood talk Saturday during the foursomes matches.
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Bubba Watson of the United States reacts after playing his fourth shot on the ninth hole during the Saturday afternoon foursomes matches.
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Team Europe's Justin Rose celebrates a birdie on the 13th hole during the Saturday foursomes matches.
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European fans display giant pictures of Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia during the Saturday morning four-ball matches.
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Team USA's Woods hits from the rough during a Saturday foursomes match.
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American golfer Tony Finau strikes the first tee shot of the 2018 Ryder Cup on Friday, September 28.
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Europeans Jon Rahm (left) and Justin Rose celebrate during the Friday morning four-ball matches. The pair lost their lead to Tony Finau and Brooks Koepka.
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McIlroy reacts Friday to a shot.
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Woods is playing at the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2012.
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Thomas and Spieth of the United States talk during the Friday morning four-ball matches.
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Fans of Team USA show their support during the Friday morning four-ball matches.
A spokesperson for the Ryder Cup said: “It is distressing to hear that someone might suffer long-term consequences from a ball strike.”
The statement added: “Ball strikes are an occasional hazard for spectators but this kind of incident is extremely rare,” said the spokesperson in a statement.
“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.”
‘Nothing wrong with our team’
Koepka was reportedly involved in an altercation with USA teammate Dustin Johnson Sunday night after Europe’s resounding 17½-10½ victory for its sixth consecutive win on home soil.
However, he dismissed the claims, adding the pair are “best friends.”
“This DJ [Dustin Johnson] thing I don’t get, there’s no fight, there’s no argument,” said Koepka, who won the US Open and US PGA Championship this year.
“People like to make a story and run with it, it’s not the first time there’s been a news story that isn’t true that’s gone out.”
But Golf Channel’s Tim Rosaforte said he had information which suggested a “heated exchange” took place, but he added: “It’s not like they were trading blows.”
Despite claims from fellow American Patrick Reed that there was other discord among the USA team, Koepka said: “I think the camaraderie was perfect, the trouble is you guys [the media] try to find a reason we lost.
“We didn’t make the putts, we didn’t hit the fairways. Especially me, I lost two matches. If we go there and we play how we’re supposed to play, we win, it’s simple as.
“But there was nothing wrong with our team, the team was great, Jim [Furyk, US captain] was great, that’s it.”
