TRIPLE MAJOR WINNER Brooks Koepka says he is “heartbroken” that a Ryder Cup fan hit by his wayward tee shot had been blinded in one eye.
Koepka posted a statement on Twitter saying he had been in contact with Corine Remande and her family and offered his “heartfelt sympathy”.
Frenchwoman Remande, aged 49, said she was taking legal action against the event’s organisers after being hit on Friday’s opening day, when Koepka’s drive on the par-four sixth hole careered into the crowd at Le Golf National near Paris.
“I spoke to her at the time on the golf course and after now learning her condition is worse than first thought, I have made contact with her family to offer my sincere and heartfelt sympathy,” said Koepka.
“I am heartbroken by the incident. My thoughts remain with Ms Remande and her family, and I have asked to be kept informed on her condition.”
Remande launched her legal action in the French city of Lyon on Tuesday. The complaint, seen by AFP, alleges organisers were responsible for “a lack of safety rules”.
“The player should have shouted ‘ball’, or ‘fore’ for English speakers. Given the distance, the stewards should have relayed this information to the green,” she adds in the complaint.
Remande told AFP after being examined at a Lyon hospital on Monday: “They told me I’d lost the sight in my right eye and this was confirmed to me today.”
She has a fractured eye socket and a damaged eyeball. Remande said there was no warning from stewards at the course before the ball hurtled into the gallery.
“Quite clearly, there is responsibility on the part of the organisers,” she told AFP.
She and her husband Raphael had travelled to France from their home in Egypt to watch the biennial showdown between Europe and the United States.
Ryder Cup organisers said they would “continue to offer support” to Remande, but said a warning was shouted to spectators.
‘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,” a statement said.
“It is distressing to hear that someone might suffer long-term consequences from a ball strike,” the organisers said. “Ball strikes are an occasional hazard for spectators but this kind of incident is extremely rare.”
Organisers said they had been in contact with the family and had helped “with the logistics of repatriation, including providing a transfer for the family from Paris to Lyon.
“We will continue to offer support for as long as necessary.
“We are hugely sympathetic and will do everything we can to support the spectator, insofar as that is possible under very difficult circumstances.”
Remande received first aid on the spot before being transferred to a specialist eye hospital in Paris.
She was then driven to her parents’ home in Lyon after doctors advised her not to fly immediately back to Egypt.
Remande said: “More than anything I want them to take care of all the medical bills to make sure there is no risk of infection.”
It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye.
@Ciaran Fairley: you should give the book a read. Christopher Brookmyre, brilliant author. You wouldn’t regret it,lol.
She is right to seek damages. But saying that the spectators need to have a bit of common sense. If standing on side of fairway you should be aware of players driving down. In this instance player shouted 4 and marshal waved flag.
@Mr Wilde: She will get her medical bills covered through the insurance of the organisers and nothing more. She’s wasting her time suing as it’s stated on the tickets issued that they are not liable for anyone getting injured. Pretty much the same with most golf clubs in fact.
@James O’Donoghue: they can print what they like on the tickets but they still have a duty of care so if a court decides that they were in part or fully negligent then an award of damages will follow. Insurance is there for genuine accidents and she was very unlucky so why shouldn’t an insurance policy help her out.
@Carpentoza: They will argue the duty of care was followed. Did Koepka shout Fore? Yes. Did his caddy? Yes. Did other people shout Fore? Yes. Was the girl who was hit behind the ropes? Yes. She can sue all she likes but won’t win. If she does go as far as a court a judge will only tell her claim against the insurance of the organisers because if there was an award then it would open the door for every ambulance chaser known to man rocking up at golf tournaments.
@James O’Donoghue: sorry chap you dont understand how it works, did they do everything they could to prevent such an occurence? Is shouting fore enough of a safety measure? so you agree that printing something on a ticket means nothing which was your original point anyway.
If you don’t see the ball leave the tee then there is a very good chance you won’t see the ball in the air…… I play golf and you can loose the flight of your own ball
What next? Protective glass barriers all around the course?
@Ciaran Fairley: helmets for all!!!!
Surely you’d notice a golf ball coming at you
@Dublin Gooner: never been to a top level golf game but that we my first thought….surely you seethe ball ” coming” at you??
@Dublin Gooner: according to a basic search, a golf ball is driven between 80 and 130 mph from the tee. It’s small, it’s fast and it is hard to see, especially if the sky is overcast which largely appears to be the case in the above photo.
I do not believe it would be easy to see a golf ball coming at you if it was driven from the tee on an overcast day.
@Dublin Gooner: So ..its her fault for not seeing a 1.5 inch white ball, against a white cloud background, travelling at 100 miles an hour?
@: well if you can’t see the ball why would you pay big money to go in and see it? There is obvious risks you have to accept if you choose to stand next to a fairway. Nobody forced her to be there.
@.: FFS, maybe she was looking elsewhere. Maybe at another player further on up the hole. Or maybe she got distracted. Or maybe she’s not really into golf but brought her kids along because they are. Or maybe another infinite number of reasons why she wasn’t looking exactly where you’ve decidedly she should have been looking even though you weren’t there.
@Joey Navinski: If your standing next to the fairway you are accepting the obvious dangers. She could have stood wherever she wanted to stand. Its nobodies fault I don’t see why she should get any pay out.
@.: that doesn’t explain your derisory “well if you can’t see the ball why would you pay big money to go in and see it” comment.
@Joey Navinski: well why would you pay big money if you cant see the ball? And where she was standing she sees two shots every 20 mins so why would you be looking ag anything else?
@.: I presume you’re trolling. Why comment if you have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about?
@Mark Carlow: Trolling how? Very unfortunate event and that’s all.
@Dublin Gooner: yeah I believe she saw it the whole way, just stood there and let it smash into her eye
Being a greenkeeper u realise this can happen quite easily especially when working on a golf course
I dunno about you guys but if I had 14milllion in the bank I reckon I could sort her out with a few bob as a gesture of good will. Eye for an eye
Apparently her eyeball exploded.
Ok, it’s time we build a TRUMP wall around all golf courses…. and get the non golfers to pay for it….
Why was she there in the first place,this what happens when women go to men’s events
I dunno