Italian professional golfer Andrea Pavan, a two-time winner on the DP World Tour, sustained serious injuries in a freak accident on Wednesday, after falling three stories down an open elevator shaft at his lodging near Cape Town (Stellenbosch area), South Africa.
The 36-year-old stepped through the elevator doors expecting the car to be present, but it was not, causing him to plunge multiple floors. He was immediately rushed to a local hospital, where he underwent at least one major surgery—described in reports as extensive—to address significant damage.
Injuries include severe shoulder trauma and fractures to several vertebrae in his back.
Pavan, who was scheduled to compete in the DP World Tour’s Investec South African Open starting Thursday, has withdrawn from the event.
A former Texas A&M standout and member of the 2009 NCAA Championship team, Pavan has eight professional victories worldwide, including his most recent DP World Tour win at the 2019 BMW International Open.
“By all accounts, he’s in good spirits, thankful to be alive and FaceTiming with his kids,” said Pavan’s former college coach, J.T. Higgins, who had not spoken to Pavan yet but was being updated on his condition.
Pavan’s wife, Audra, and his sister are traveling to join him. Doctors anticipate he will stay in South Africa for at least six weeks before he can be safely evaluated for travel back to the Dallas area.
A GoFundMe campaign organized by his college teammate Matt Van Zandt has been launched to help cover international medical expenses, extended hospitalization, ongoing procedures, recovery costs, and family support amid uncertainties about his future in professional golf.
Friends and fellow players have visited Pavan in the hospital.
