Andrea Pavan is said to be in "good spirits" after suffering a horror fall down an elevator shaft while attending the South African Open on the DP World Tour.
The Italian is said to have fallen down three stories after calling for an elevator and stepping through the open doors only for there to be no car waiting for him.
Pavan suffered serious back and shoulder injuries in the freak accident and has already had major surgery, but will require more in what will be a lengthy stay in hospital in South Africa.
First reported by Ryan French of Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1) fame on social media, the Golf Channel has now spoken to some of Pavan's friends and former college teammates at Texas A&M to get a clearer picture.
Despite the horror of such a bad accident, Pavan is at least said to be doing OK now after his first bout of surgery.
“By all accounts, he’s in good spirits, thankful to be alive and FaceTiming with his kids,” Pavan's former college coach JT Higgins told Golf Channel.
Some players and friends have already visited the 36-year-old in hospital, with his wife Audra traveling over from Texas to be with him.
A GoFundMe page has also been set up by his former Texas A&M teammate Matt Van Zandt to help Pavan and his family deal with the expenses of a prolonged hospital stay overseas and all the related medical bills.
Some horrible news from the DP event in South Africa. Andrea Pavan, 2-time DP winner was badly injured in a freak accident at this week’s event. According to multiple people Pavan fell down an elevator shaft after the doors opened on the floor he was on but the car itself…February 26, 2026
"He has already undergone at least one major surgery and will need ongoing medical care and additional procedures," Van Zandt wrote.
"Doctors expect him to remain in South Africa for many weeks before he can be safely evaluated for travel back to the U.S.
"International medical care, extended hospitalization, ongoing medical procedures and care, and prolonged recovery will create unexpected and significant financial strain.
"This fundraiser seeks to ease that burden for Andrea, Audra and his three kids so they can focus on what matters most: healing, support, and family time. "
Golf Twitter, need you big here! My former A&M golf teammate Andrea Pavan suffered severe injuries from a freak accident at the event in South Africa this week. He needs all of our help. Please take a second to read his story on the link below. https://t.co/bbyw71Dnx0February 26, 2026
There's also likely to be a real concern about his career due to the nature of his injuries - a career which has seen him already battle back from injuries and loss of form.
Pavan who is a two-time winner on the DP World Tour and was due to make his sixth start of the season at the South African Open.
He landed his first DP World Tour tournament at the 2018 D+D Real Czech Masters and added the BMW International Open title in Munich the year after.
But Pavan then endured a tough couple of years suffering with driver yips and lost his DP World Tour card in 2022, but he bounced right back by coming through the HotelPlanner Tour in 2023.
The DP World Tour has not many any official comment as is its policy on player injuries.
