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Sunshine Tour
Professional golf tour
Professional golf tour
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| title | Sunshine Tour |
| current_season | 2025–26 Sunshine Tour |
| logo | Sunshine Tour logo.jpg |
| pixels | 200px |
| formerly | Sunshine Circuit |
| South African Tour | |
| Southern Africa Tour | |
| Vodacom Tour | |
| FNB Tour | |
| sport | Golf |
| founded | 1971 (rebranded as the Sunshine Tour in 2000) |
| countries | Based in South Africa |
| most_champs | Order of Merit titles: |
| ZIM Mark McNulty (8) | |
| Tournament wins: | |
| ZIM Mark McNulty (33) | |
| website | http://www.sunshinetour.com |
| commissioner | Thomas Abt |
| TV | SuperSport |
| related_comps | Big Easy Tour |
South African Tour Southern Africa Tour Vodacom Tour FNB Tour ZIM Mark McNulty (8) Tournament wins: ZIM Mark McNulty (33) The Sunshine Tour is a men's professional golf tour based in Southern and East Africa. For much of its early history it was known either as the Southern Africa Tour or Sunshine Circuit; through sponsorship deals, it has also been known as the FNB Tour and the Vodacom Tour. For the 2000–01 season the tour rebranded itself as the Sunshine Tour in an attempt to broaden its appeal. A large majority of the tour events are still staged in South Africa.
History and status
The tour is one of the six leading men's tours which before 2009 made up the membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, but it offers much less prize money than some of the leading tours, and leading Southern African golfers traditionally prefer to play on the PGA Tour or the European Tour if they can qualify to do so, typically returning to play in Sunshine Tour events a couple of times a year.
Most of the tour's leading official money events, including the South African Open, are co-sanctioned with the European Tour to attract stronger fields. The 2015 season included 27 official money events. The co-sanctioned events had purses ranging from to , while the other 21 events had purses designated in South African Rand and ranging from 650,000 rand to 4.5 million rand. There was at least one tournament every month of the year except July, but the main events took place in the South African summer from November to February.
In accordance with the apartheid policy of the governments of Southern Africa, the tour was only open to White players for its first 20 years. The tour has been open to non-White players since 1991. Five black golfers have won events: South Africa's John Mashego at the 1991 Bushveld Classic; South Africa's Lindani Ndwandwe at the 2001 Western Cape Classic and 2009 Highveld Classic; Zimbabwe's Tongoona Charamba at the 2006 SAA Pro-Am Invitational and 2008 MTC Namibia PGA Championship; Zambia's Madalitso Muthiya at the 2016 Vodacom Origins of Golf (Wild Coast); and South Africa's Toto Thimba Jr. at the 2019 KCB Karen Masters.
In 2016, the Sunshine Tour announced an affiliation with the MENA Golf Tour, allowing the top five MENA Tour players Sunshine Tour cards and those 6th-15th into the final stage of Q School. A number of events would also be co-sanctioned among the Sunshine Tour, MENA Tour, and developmental Big Easy Tour.
In May 2022, it was announced that the Order of Merit would be reformatted for the 2022–23 season. It was sponsored by Luno, a cryptocurrency platform. The rankings changed to a points-based system, rather than being decided on money earned. Points earned are based on tournament prize money which are split into five tiers. The leader of the OoM will receive ; paid in Bitcoin.
Since 2022, the top three players on the Order of Merit at the end of the season earn status to play on the European Tour for the following season.
Schedule
Main article: 2024–25 Sunshine Tour
Order of Merit winners
| Season | Winner | Points | Season | Winner | Prize money (R) | Season | Winner | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | ZAF Daniel van Tonder | 4,155 | ||||||
| 2023–24 | ZAF Ryan van Velzen | 3,525 | ||||||
| 2022–23 | ZAF Ockie Strydom | 3,336 | ||||||
| 2021–22 | ZAF Shaun Norris | 4,890,994 | ||||||
| 2020–21 | ZAF Christiaan Bezuidenhout | 7,789,088 | ||||||
| 2019–20 | ZAF J. C. Ritchie | 2,162,387 | ||||||
| 2018–19 | ZAF Zander Lombard | 2,119,985 | ||||||
| 2017–18 | ZAF George Coetzee (2) | 2,937,226 | ||||||
| 2016–17 | ZAF Brandon Stone | 7,384,889 | ||||||
| 2015 | ZAF George Coetzee | 5,470,684 | ||||||
| 2014 | ZAF Thomas Aiken | 4,057,642 | ||||||
| 2013 | ZAF Dawie van der Walt | 5,094,333 | ||||||
| 2012 | ZAF Branden Grace | 2,760,319 | ||||||
| 2011 | ZAF Garth Mulroy | 3,464,463 | ||||||
| 2010 | ZAF Charl Schwartzel (4) | 5,097,914 | ||||||
| 2009 | DEN Anders Hansen | 4,286,038 | ||||||
| 2008 | ZAF Richard Sterne | 5,599,265 | ||||||
| 2007 | ZAF James Kingston | 1,980,689 | ||||||
| 2006–07 | ZAF Charl Schwartzel (3) | 1,585,117 | ||||||
| 2005–06 | ZAF Charl Schwartzel (2) | 1,207,460 | ||||||
| 2004–05 | ZAF Charl Schwartzel | 1,635,850 | ||||||
| 2003–04 | ZAF Darren Fichardt (2) | 726,545 | ||||||
| 2002–03 | ZAF Trevor Immelman | 2,044,280 | ||||||
| 2001–02 | ZAF Tim Clark | 1,669,901 | ||||||
| 2000–01 | ZIM Mark McNulty (8) | 1,603,481 | ||||||
| 1999–2000 | ZAF Darren Fichardt | 558,735 | ||||||
| 1998–99 | ZAF David Frost | 1,189,762 | ||||||
| 1997–98 | ZIM Mark McNulty (7) | 589,053 | ||||||
| 1996–97 | ZIM Nick Price (2) | 1,223,027 | ||||||
| 1995–96 | ZAF Wayne Westner | 709,389 | ||||||
| 1994–95 | ZAF Ernie Els (2) | 460,488 | ||||||
| 1993–94 | ZIM Tony Johnstone (2) | 297,359 | ||||||
| 1992–93 | ZIM Mark McNulty (6) | 250,079 | ||||||
| 1991–92 | ZAF Ernie Els | 324,017 | ||||||
| 1990–91 | ZAF John Bland (4) | 333,637 | ||||||
| 1989–90 | ZAF John Bland (3) | 180,893 | ||||||
| 1988–89 | ZIM Tony Johnstone | 254,950 | ||||||
| 1987–88 | ZAF John Bland (2) | 143,301 | ||||||
| 1986–87 | ZIM Mark McNulty (5) | 134,690 | ||||||
| 1985–86 | ZIM Mark McNulty (4) | 113,527 | ||||||
| 1984–85 | ZIM Mark McNulty (3) | 57,750 | ||||||
| 1983–84 | ZAF Gavan Levenson | 43,940 | ||||||
| 1982–83 | ZIM Nick Price | 31,986 | ||||||
| 1981–82 | ZIM Mark McNulty (2) | 67,054 | ||||||
| 1980–81 | ZIM Mark McNulty | 50,192 | ||||||
| 1979–80 | ZAF Gary Player (2) | 49,680 | ||||||
| 1978–79 | ZAF Hugh Baiocchi | 19,804 | ||||||
| 1977–78 | ZAF John Bland | 25,171 | ||||||
| 1976–77 | ZAF Gary Player | 19,363 | ||||||
| 1975–76 | ZAF Allan Henning (2) | 18,275 | ||||||
| 1974–75 | ZAF Allan Henning | 1,833 | ||||||
| 1973–74 | ZAF Bobby Cole | 1,664 | ||||||
| 1972–73 | ZAF Dale Hayes | 1,252 | ||||||
| 1971–72 | ZAF Tienie Britz | 1,604 |
Multiple winners
| Rank | Player | Wins | Years won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ZIM Mark McNulty | 8 | 1980–81, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1992–93, 1997–98, 2000–01 |
| 2 | ZAF John Bland | 4 | 1977–78, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1990–91 |
| ZAF Charl Schwartzel | 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2010 | ||
| T4 | ZAF George Coetzee | 2 | 2015, 2017–18 |
| ZAF Ernie Els | 1991–92, 1994–95 | ||
| ZAF Darren Fichardt | 1999–2000, 2003–04 | ||
| ZAF Allan Henning | 1974–75, 1975–76 | ||
| ZIM Tony Johnstone | 1988–89, 1993–94 | ||
| ZAF Gary Player | 1976–77, 1979–80 | ||
| ZIM Nick Price | 1982–83, 1996–97 |
Awards
| Season | Players' Player of the Year | Rookie of the Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | No award | ZAF Altin van der Merwe |
| 2023–24 | ZAF Robin Williams | |
| 2022–23 | ZAF Casey Jarvis | |
| 2021–22 | ZAF Jayden Schaper (2) | |
| 2020–21 | ZAF Jayden Schaper | |
| 2019–20 | ZAF Garrick Higgo | |
| 2018–19 | ZIM Benjamin Follett-Smith | |
| 2017–18 | ZAF Oliver Bekker | IRL Neil O'Briain |
| 2016–17 | Unknown | ZAF Christiaan Bezuidenhout |
| 2015 | ZAF Dean Burmester | ZAF Rourke van der Spuy |
| 2014 | Unknown | ZAF Haydn Porteous |
| 2013 | ZAF Darren Fichardt | ZAF Dylan Frittelli |
| 2012 | ZAF Trevor Fisher Jnr | ZAF Daniel van Tonder |
| 2011 | ZAF Jean Hugo | ZAF Allan Versfeld |
| 2010 | ZAF Jaco van Zyl | ZAF Anthony Michael |
| 2009 | Unknown | CAN Graham DeLaet |
| 2008 | ZAF Louis Moolman | |
| 2007 | ENG Ross McGowan | |
| 2006–07 | ZAF Rossouw Loubser | |
| 2005–06 | ZAF Mohamed Tayob | |
| 2004–05 | WAL Garry Houston | |
| 2003–04 | SWE Johan Edfors | |
| 2002–03 | ZAF Charl Schwartzel | |
| 2001–02 | ZAF Nicholas Lawrence | |
| 2000–01 | ZAF Trevor Immelman | |
| 1999–2000 | ZAF Jean Hugo | |
| 1998–99 | Unknown | |
| 1997–98 | ZAF Richard Fulford | |
| 1996–97 | Unknown | |
| 1995–96 | SCO Alan McLean | |
| 1994–95 | Unknown | |
| 1993–94 | ZAF Brenden Pappas |
Notes
References
References
- (1993). "South Africa and international sports factfinder". D. Nelson.
- (13 June 1997). "Vodacom boosts PGA tour, annoys competitor". Mail & Guardian.
- "A Brief History of the Sunshine Tour". Golf Village.
- Butler, Lynn. "Sunshine Tour transforming SA golf in honour of Papwa Sewgolum".
- "Transformation in Golf | Papwa Sewgolum Class".
- (22 May 2006). "Charamba rewrites history at SAA Pro-Am Invitational". Sunshine Tour.
- (15 April 2016). "OWGR Board Announcement". Official World Golf Ranking.
- (5 May 2022). "Sunshine Tour announces new Luno Order of Merit".
- (9 July 2021). "European Tour and Sunshine Tour launch landmark partnership". European Tour.
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