Less than 72 hours after suffering an horrific on-course injury, Brett Rumford will step on to Fanling's New Course this morning aiming to help Australia regain the Asia-Pacific Amateur Team Championship for the Nomura Cup.
Playing his first practice round at the Hong Kong Golf Club on Monday, 20-year-old Rumford was struck a sickening blow just millimetres above his right eye by a ball mis-hit by roommate Cameron Percy.
'I was very lucky. One inch lower and I'd have lost my eyeball,' said Rumford.
'Apart from having ice treatment and taking anti-inflammatory pills there has not been a lot else I could do.
'But I've recovered well. The eye is now open and I feel fine,' said the Royal Perth member, who still sports severe bruising.
With the exception of Rumford, no one is more relieved at his recovery than Percy, who unwittingly inflicted the injury when he shanked his sand-wedge approach to the par-four 15th. Standing 20 metres to his right, Rumford had no chance to take evasive action.