Andrea Pavan, the Italian golfer who fell down three floors of an elevator shaft, has been discharged from hospital.
Pavan was in South Africa for the Investec South African Open at Stellenbosch Golf Club when he suffered the freak accident at his private accommodation on February 25.
Pavan had called for the elevator but failed to notice, when the doors opened, that there was no elevator car waiting to collect him. He fell down three stories and was taken to the hospital for treatment on his injuries which included severe shoulder damage and fractures to several vertebrae.
The 36-year-old, who was born in Rome but is a Texas A&M alumnus and the world No 249, had to undergo back and shoulder surgery.
In a post shared to social media a week on from his accident, Pavan thanked medical staff “who made this incredible recovery a possibility”. He will remain in South Africa for a further five weeks of rehabilitation before travelling back to the United States.
“It truly feels like a miracle to be able to walk and start to do some basic activities, although at a very slow and careful pace,” Pavan, whose wife Audra flew from their home in Dallas to be with him, wrote. “I would like to thank all the Mediclinic staff, all the surgeons, nurses and everyone who has made this incredible recovery a possibility.”
The dad-of-three went on to thank the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour as well as the players and caddies who visited him in the intensive care unit. He also thanked South African Open board member Johann Rupert and his wife Gaynor who have organised the accommodation where his rehab will now continue.
“Thank you to all the friends, family, sponsors and people who reached out with messages and prayers and stepped in to help in all kinds of different ways,” he continued. “I am sorry I could not get back to all of you yet, but my heart is overwhelmed with love and joy.”
Pavan says the road to recovery is “very long” but that the small step of leaving the hospital is a positive one. Pictures shared to Instagram showed Pavan in a wheelchair as well as upright and walking out of the hospital in Stellenbosch, a town located a 45 minute drive east from Cape Town. His right arm was in a sling.
A GoFundMe page was set up by Matt Van Zandt, a former college teammate of Pavan’s, to support his friend’s recovery. It has since raised more than $81,000 with a number of golfers having made donations.
Pavan, who turned professional in 2010, is a two-time winner on the DP World Tour and has eight wins overall. He has appeared at three majors: the U.S. Open in 2014 and 2025, and the 2019 Open.
His most significant win to date arrived in 2019 when he overcame Matt Fitzpatrick in a play-off to be crowned winner of the BMW International Open in Munich, Germany. His most recent appearance before the accident was at the Qatar Masters in Doha earlier this month, where he missed the cut.