EX-GOLFER MISSES R17m IN GREEN

A FORMER golfer failed in his bid for a R17 million payout from the Road Accident Fund (RAF).

Teagan Gauche says he was forced to give up his dream of turning professional when in 2022 he retired, due to persistent physical limitations arising from a car accident.

Gauche suffered severe injuries in December 2013 when he swerved out for an oncoming taxi, and the car that he was driving landed on its roof.

Included in his damages claim against the fund is a claim for R15 million for estimated loss of earnings.

He told the Gauteng High Court that at the time of the collision, he was a 21-year-old amateur golfer.

Gauche had to take two years off after the crash and was obliged to withdraw from events owing to pain.

He further told the court that he became a professional golfer and played professionally from 2017. He stopped his professional golfing career in 2022 due to his injuries, he said.

An industrial psychologist, one of many medical experts who submitted reports to the court, stated that Gauche could have advanced to the level of a professional golfer with an equivalent high international ranking (probably a competitive PGA player).

Acting Judge PD Kekana, however, said the evidence does not support this timeline.

The judge said: “In light of the contradictions in the medical evidence and the speculative nature of his earnings potential, the plaintiff has failed to prove that he suffered any quantifiable loss of earnings attributable to the accident.”