An Italian professional was preparing for a DP World Tour event in South Africa. Unfortunately, he met a life-threatening accident at the accommodation he was staying at. While almost everyone, from fellow professionals and caddies to the Sunshine Tour and the DP World Tour, was making sure to meet him and make him comfortable, there’s only so much someone can do without the right resources. That’s when a billionaire businessman, with his extensive network and resources, came to Andrea Pavan’s aid.

“I mean, it’s been unbelievable the help I have received. From a lot of people, but for sure, from the Rupert family as they have really stepped up for me. When my sister was here for a few days after the accident happened, they offered her accommodation and are now doing the same for my wife and I,” Andrea Pavan said in an exclusive interview with The Scotsman.

“They are providing lots of different services. I don’t have to think about meals or laundry, things like that. We are super thankful because they’re things that would be heavy on my wife as it is stuff I can’t do at the moment.”

The 36-year-old Italian professional was in South Africa to play in the 2026 Investec South African Open Championship. However, the day before the event officially began, he suffered a near-fatal fall down a three-story elevator shaft.

He stepped into an open elevator only to find that the car was not there. As he plunged into the empty shaft, he sustained severe right shoulder damage. Besides that, he also faced fractures in multiple vertebrae, including the sacrum. He underwent emergency surgery that night at Mediclinic Cape Town Hospital.

The 2x DP World Tour winner was discharged on March 5, 2026, calling it a miracle to walk again. However, he acknowledges that it will be a long and slow recovery.

He revealed that recovery is going day by day, and he is improving. However, it has been challenging. After discharge, his range of motion is still not sufficient for performing everyday activities. He cannot sit down or stand up from a chair. Despite these troubles, he is pushing himself to walk again.

During this slow recovery period, he is still staying in South Africa with his wife, Audra, and it is all thanks to the South African businessman Johann Rupert and his wife that he doesn’t have to worry about their accommodation or basic things like laundry.

The businessman has provided Andrea Pavan and his wife with a house to stay in.

“The house we are in is beautiful and also very peaceful, which is great when you are facing a recovery like this. When you are in hospital, it’s a tough environment,” he added.

It’s one thing to know someone and help them. However, Rupert did this without knowing Pavan personally.

“Look, I have met Mr Rupert a couple of times just to say ‘hello’, but we didn’t have a relationship, so to speak. I knew who he was and had played a lot of times in South Africa, including his event here at Leopard Creek and also the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship,” Pavan said.

“He is also so involved on the Sunshine Tour and golf in general. Just to feel that somebody who cares about golf and finds out that you are so hurt in a foreign country and away from home, to step up and help us has been a blessing and we will be forever grateful.”

Rupert hosts the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and the Alfred Dunhill Championship on the DP World Tour. He is an avid golfer himself and also works closely with the Sunshine Tour.

Besides Rupert, many others, including the DP World Tour’s chief tournament and operations officer Ben Cowen, Joel Sjoholm from the DP World Tour Player Relations, and the Sunshine Tour’s commissioner Thomas Abt, were all there to help Andrea Pavan during his challenging times.

In fact, fans have chimed in too.

Fans support Andrea Pavan’s recovery through donations

After the devastating fall and surgery, Pavan will require months of recovery before he can come back and play on the DP World Tour. But in the meantime, he will lose his biggest source of income. Thus, he started a GoFundMe campaign to support his wife, three children, and post-surgery costs. It was initiated by his ex-teammate Matt Van Zandt.

Some fans were questioning this move. They said that he has $4 million in official earnings from the DP World Tour, so why does he need a GoFundMe campaign? However, analyst Ryan French clarified Pavan’s position through an X post from his social media handle, Monday Q Info. He broke down his earnings and expenditure to back him up.

While some fans questioned his move, many came in support of the Italian golfer. His campaign aimed to generate $100K in donations. Out of that, he has already received $84,195 from 312 donations. Many professional golfers have also made donations to help with Andrea Pavan’s recovery. This includes $1,000 from Sergio Garcia, $1,000 from Robert Floyd, $2,500 from Billy Horschel, and others.

Support from fans and fellow professionals has added another layer of relief for Andrea Pavan. Alongside those contributions, the generosity and care shown by Johann Rupert and his family have played a meaningful role in helping the Italian golfer focus on healing after the frightening accident.