A Frenchwoman who is taking legal action against Ryder Cup organisers after she was left blind in one eye after being hit by a golf ball has told how fellow fans took photographs and videos of her immediately after she was struck, rather than come to her aid.
Corine Remande, 49, was struck in the face last Friday by a stray tee-shot from American player Brooks Koepka.
The incident took place on the sixth hole of Le Golf National near Paris, which staged Europe’s 17 ½ - 10 ½ victory last weekend, when Koepka hit his shot right of the green.
Remande immediately collapsed to the ground after being hit on the right side of her face, with the impact leaving her with a fractured eye socket and damaged eyeball. But she has now revealed that she feared being trampled by crowds eager to see Tiger Woods, who was nearby, as she lay hurt on the grass verge, with some choosing to take picture and videos on mobile phones rather than help her.
"Before being moved, in a big mess, I was afraid of being trampled because Tiger Woods was coming and the crowd was growing around us," Remande said.
"What shocked me too was that the spectators were taking pictures of me, but no one was calling for help."
The incident happened during Friday morning’s fourballs and has led to a legal row over the safety of fans at Le Golf National over the weekend. Remande claims that those near the green were not warned that Koepka’s shot was heading in their direction as she said there were no shouts of ‘Fore’ to make instruct them to take cover.
Organisers disagree with this and say that the warning was shouted “shouted several times”.
"They did not [shout fore],” Remande added. “To make a show, the organisers moved the tees forward on the sixth hole to allow the big hitters to reach the green in one shot.
"Without warning the spectators, the public cannot see the players and anticipate and protect themselves. That's why I'm angry."
She also claims that no one from the Ryder Cup contacted or visited her for three days after she was hit, but officials say that they have been in contact with both her and her family.
Koepka appeared at a press conference on Wednesday to answer questions about this incident – as well as a reported bust-up with US teammate and close friend Dustin Johnson – in which he said he was “heartbroken” by the news that Remande has lost her sight in her right eye.
“I hit the golf ball and it’s upsetting. It really is. Just because I hit a golf ball, someone lost the sight in their eye. If you break it down to the heart of it, it’s not a good feeling,” Koepka said on Wednesday ahead of this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links tournament at St Andrews.
“Yesterday was probably one of the worst days of my life. I haven’t had too many tragedies in my personal family where there’s been a loss or any kind of tragic accident so I’ve been lucky in that sense.
“I wasn’t told until I got to the course – I’m not the biggest person on social media – so when I got here and had about seven missed calls and 25 text messages I was like: ‘What’s going on? Then I was told the news and obviously I am really heartbroken.
“My stomach sank. Yesterday was probably one of the hardest days trying to focus and play golf just knowing what was going to come when I was done. I spent an hour and a half of my round on the phone trying to understand what was going on because it’s hard to get the real story of what was going on. I didn’t know if it was fake or not and you want to find out. It’s sad and I really am torn up about it.”
