DP World Tour golfer injured in freak elevator accident
Italian player fell down shaft after doors opened but elevator car wasn’t there
Two-time DP World Tour winner Andrea Pavan is "thankful to be alive" after being seriously injured in a freak accident in South Africa.
It has been reported and subsequently confirmed by The Scotsman that the Italian fell down an elevator shaft after he stepped into it when the doors opened but the elevator car wasn’t there and fell multiple floors.
It is understood that the incident happened in the 36-year-old’s own private accommodation for the week and not in official accommodation for an event that is co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour.
As a result of the injuries he sustained, Pavan withdrew on Wednesday from the Investec South African Open Championship at Stellenbosch Golf Club, where he was replaced in the field by Richie Ramsay.
The incident was reported by Monday Q Info, a reliable golf social media source, on X.
A post read: “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.
‘He fell multiple floors and was badly injured’
“According to multiple people, Pavan fell down an elevator shaft after the doors opened on the floor he was on but the car itself wasn’t there. He fell multiple floors and was badly injured.
“Although from the people I spoke with, the injuries don’t seem to be life-threatening, he was in surgery for hours.”
According to Golf Channel, Pavan fell three stories and suffered multiple injuries, including to his shoulder and back, and underwent extensive surgeries on Wednesday night.
‘Thankful to be alive’
“By all accounts, he’s in good spirits, thankful to be alive and FaceTiming with his kids,” Pavan’s former college coach, J.T. Higgins, told Golf Channel reporter Brentley Romine.
Pavan landed his breakthrough win in the D+D Real Czech Masters in 2018 before adding the BMW International Open in Munich the following year.
He’s had some form struggles in his career, losing his DP World Tour card at the end of the 2020 season and not getting it back until 2024.
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