He added: “The past 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.”

The European-based tour had initially said Pavan had withdrawn from the tournament, which began on Thursday, through injury, but they did not provide further details because of “medical confidentiality”.

A former team-mate of Pavan’s, Matt van Zandt, has set up a fundraiser to help Pavan’s wife Audra and their three children with medical bills.

Van Zandt said doctors expect Pavan to remain in South Africa for “many weeks before he can be safely evaluated for travel back to the United States”.

England’s Marco Penge, who plays on the European Tour with Pavan, wrote on X:, external “Terrible news. Sending Andrea and his family all my love. He’s a great guy!”

Pavan is a two-time DP World Tour winner, claiming victory at the Czech Masters in 2018 and the BMW International Open in 2019.