An Italian golfer on the DP World Tour has been seriously injured after falling down a lift shaft while preparing for the South African Open.
Andrea Pavan, a two-times winner on the tour, is understood to have fallen three floors down the shaft on Wednesday. He has had extensive surgery after suffering injuries to his back and shoulder, but they are not life-threatening. The accident happened at his private accommodation rather than the players’ hotel in Stellenbosch, Western Cape.
Further details remain sketchy, with the DP World Tour saying only that the world No249 had withdrawn due to injury. A spokesman added that it could not provide more information due to medical confidentiality. The South African Open carried on on Thursday, with Scotland’s Richie Ramsay taking Pavan’s place.
Pavan, 36, has had extensive surgery after suffering injuries to his back and shoulder in the freak fall
STUART FRANKLIN/GETTY IMAGES
The freak fall was first reported on social media by the Monday Q Info account, and has been corroborated by The Times. It seems the lift doors opened and Pavan, 36, stepped through them without realising there was no car waiting.
Speaking to the Golf Channel, Pavan’s former college coach, JT Higgins, said: “By all accounts, he’s in good spirits, thankful to be alive and FaceTiming with his kids.”
Pavan started the year in good form, finishing 14th at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic followed by a top-ten finish in Bahrain. Married with three children, he is a past winner of the Czech Masters and the BMW International Open.