STELLENBOSCH – Andrea Pavan, the Italian golfer who was injured in freak accident at a hotel in Stellenbosch ahead of the Investec South African Open Championship, will spend the next month recovering and in rehabilitation in the area.
The 36-year-old professional golfer, who was set to feature on the greens of Stellenbosch Golf Club in South Africa’s premier golfing competition from Thursday 26 February to Sunday 1 March, sustained serious injuries and was hospitalised when he fell three storeys down an elevator shaft at the hotel on Wednesday 25 February.
According to the GoFundMe campaign started by Matt van Zandt, a former college teammate of Pavan, the doors to the elevator apparently opened, but the elevator cart had not arrived.
Pavan suffered serious injuries to his shoulder and back, and was rushed to a private hospital in Stellenbosch where he was admitted to the intensive care unit.
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Heartfelt message
On Wednesday 4 March, the Italian took to his Instagram page (@nellogolf) to inform his followers of his progress. “Today was a big day,” Pavan wrote. “I got discharged from the hospital to continue my rehab at an accommodation nearby kindly set up by the Rupert family.
“It truly feels like a miracle to be able to walk and start to do some basic activities, although at a very slow and care pace.”
He goes on to thank the staff of Mediclinic Stellenbosch, along with everyone who made his “incredible recovery” possible. “Thank you to DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour, in particular Matteo [Manaserro], Ben [Schmidt], Joel [Girrbach] and all the people who helped me along this week,” Pavan posted.
“The DP World Tour players and caddies who came to visit me in ICU while playing the SA Open – it truly felt like a big family!”
The father of three further thanked everyone – family, friends and sponsors – who reached out to him with messages of support, prayers and other aid, apologising for no responding to all the messages he had received.
“… But my heart is overwhelmed with love and joy,” he wrote. “God has answered many prayers, it truly feels like His hand is on my recovery. The road is very long, but this small step feels very good! I will need to stay in South Africa another five weeks and rehab both [my] shoulder and back, and heal other bruises and secondary injuries, and once back home continue the rehab journey.”
All-round support
Pavan’s Instagram post included a photograph of him flanked by his wife, Audra, and his sister, who travelled from overseas to be by his side after the accident. It also included photos of him in and outside hospital He has not posted to the platform since.
The GoFundMe campaign, “Support Andrea Pavan’s Recovery Journey” was established to support the family amid what was described as “unexpected and significant financial strain”.
Van Zandt wrote that the crowdfunding campaign “seeks to ease that burden” for the family. All funds raised through the campaign would go toward Pavan’s medical expenses, his extended stay in SA, transportation back to Dallas, Texas, ongoing medical care, and “hopefully some extra to ease the uncertainty of his professional golf future”.
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By Friday morning (13 March), a total of US$84 195 (R1 413 170,98) of the target of US$100 000
(R1 678 450) has been raised through the campaign, with international golfers such as Sergio Garcia, Jose Luis Ballester, Robert Floyd, William Horschel and James Vu, among others, contributing to the cause.
Pavan, a former student of Texas A&M University in the USA and part of the “12th Man” tradition, is described as a “treasured” member of the global golfing community.
According to his Wikipedia page, he currently plays on the European Tour and, since turning professional in 2010, he has won twice on the tour, claiming victory in the 2018 D+D Real Czech Masters and the 2019 BMW International Open.
The Investec SA Open was eventually won by 22-year-old South African sensation Casey Jarvis.
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