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Andrea Pavan makes birdie putt from the fringe on No. 9 at Barracuda
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Written by Staff
DP World Tour veteran Andrea Pavan has issued a statement after sustaining serious injuries in a freak elevator accident ahead of this week’s Investec South Africa Open.
According to a GoFundMe page started by Matt Van Zandt, Pavan’s former college teammate at Texas A&M, Pavan “fell three stories down an open elevator shaft in his lodging when the elevator doors opened with no car present.” The 36-year-old Italian suffered “severe shoulder damage” and “significant injuries” to his back, including fractures to several vertebrae.
Pavan, who has two top-15 finishes among three starts on the DP World Tour this year, withdrew from the event and shared in a statement via the DP World Tour that he remains hospitalized in South Africa while recovering from surgery.
“I now have a lot of rehab and hard work ahead of me, but the care I have received so far from the Mediclinic hospital staff has been incredible, as has the support from the DP World Tour, the Sunshine Tour, and all their staff here in Stellenbosch,” Pavan said. “The last two days have been difficult, but I am in very good hands and to have so many players, caddies and staff visit and contact me has meant a lot to me.”
Pavan has two career DP World Tour wins to his credit, most recently the 2019 BMW International Open, and has made four cuts in 13 career starts on the PGA TOUR. He made three appearances on TOUR in 2025, including the U.S. Open at Oakmont.
Pavan was part of the 2009 Texas A&M team that won a national title, a group that included Van Zandt as well as Korn Ferry Tour member Bronson Burgoon and former TOUR player Conrad Shindler.
The GoFundMe started by Van Zandt had received more than $40,000 out of a $100,000 goal as of Friday morning, with funds helping to offset medical costs for Pavan, who faces “at least six weeks” in a South Africa hospital before he can return home to the Dallas area, as well as support for Pavan’s wife and three children.
“Now is the time that we come together and support him through this unexpected trial,” Van Zandt wrote. “We love Andrea and his family and wish him a speedy recovery.”
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Feb 23, 2026
