Sunshine Tour
Current season2026–27 Sunshine Tour
Pixels200px
FormerlySunshine Circuit
South African Tour
Southern Africa Tour
Vodacom Tour
FNB Tour
SportGolf
Founded1971 (rebranded as the Sunshine Tour in 2000)
CountriesBased in South Africa[a]
Most champsOrder of Merit titles:
Mark McNulty (8)
Tournament wins:
Mark McNulty (33)
Websitehttp://www.sunshinetour.com
CommissionerThomas Abt
TvSuperSport
Related compsBig Easy Tour

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[1] and the Vodacom Tour.[2] 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.[3]

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 €1 million to US$6.5 million, 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.[4][5] 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[6] 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.[7]

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 R500,000; paid in Bitcoin.[8]

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.[9]

Schedule

Main article: 2024–25 Sunshine Tour

Order of Merit winners

SeasonWinnerPoints
2025–26Casey Jarvis4,863
2024–25Daniel van Tonder4,155
2023–24Ryan van Velzen3,525
2022–23Ockie Strydom3,336
SeasonWinnerPrize money (R)
2021–22Shaun Norris4,890,994
2020–21Christiaan Bezuidenhout7,789,088
2019–20J. C. Ritchie2,162,387
2018–19Zander Lombard2,119,985
2017–18George Coetzee (2)2,937,226
2016–17Brandon Stone7,384,889
2015George Coetzee5,470,684
2014Thomas Aiken4,057,642
2013Dawie van der Walt5,094,333
2012Branden Grace2,760,319
2011Garth Mulroy3,464,463
2010Charl Schwartzel (4)5,097,914
2009Anders Hansen4,286,038
2008Richard Sterne5,599,265
2007James Kingston1,980,689
2006–07Charl Schwartzel (3)1,585,117
2005–06Charl Schwartzel (2)1,207,460
2004–05Charl Schwartzel1,635,850
2003–04Darren Fichardt (2)726,545
2002–03Trevor Immelman2,044,280
2001–02Tim Clark1,669,901
2000–01Mark McNulty (8)1,603,481
1999–2000Darren Fichardt558,735
1998–99David Frost1,189,762
1997–98Mark McNulty (7)589,053
1996–97Nick Price (2)1,223,027
1995–96Wayne Westner709,389
1994–95Ernie Els (2)460,488
1993–94Tony Johnstone (2)297,359
1992–93Mark McNulty (6)250,079
1991–92Ernie Els324,017
1990–91John Bland (4)333,637
1989–90John Bland (3)180,893
1988–89Tony Johnstone254,950
1987–88John Bland (2)143,301
1986–87Mark McNulty (5)134,690
1985–86Mark McNulty (4)113,527
1984–85Mark McNulty (3)57,750
1983–84Gavan Levenson43,940
1982–83Nick Price31,986
1981–82Mark McNulty (2)67,054
1980–81Mark McNulty50,192
1979–80Gary Player (2)49,680
1978–79Hugh Baiocchi19,804
1977–78John Bland25,171
1976–77Gary Player19,363
1975–76Allan Henning (2)18,275
SeasonWinnerPoints
1974–75Allan Henning1,833
1973–74Bobby Cole1,664
1972–73Dale Hayes1,252
1971–72Tienie Britz1,604

Multiple winners

RankPlayerWinsYears won
1Mark McNulty81980–81, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1992–93, 1997–98, 2000–01
2John Bland41977–78, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1990–91
Charl Schwartzel2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2010
T4George Coetzee22015, 2017–18
Ernie Els1991–92, 1994–95
Darren Fichardt1999–2000, 2003–04
Allan Henning1974–75, 1975–76
Tony Johnstone1988–89, 1993–94
Gary Player1976–77, 1979–80
Nick Price1982–83, 1996–97

Awards

SeasonPlayers' Player of the YearRookie of the Year
2025–26Herman LoubserLuis Carrera
2024–25No awardAltin van der Merwe
2023–24Robin Williams
2022–23Casey Jarvis
2021–22Jayden Schaper (2)
2020–21Jayden Schaper
2019–20Garrick Higgo
2018–19Benjamin Follett-Smith
2017–18Oliver BekkerNeil O'Briain
2016–17UnknownChristiaan Bezuidenhout
2015Dean BurmesterRourke van der Spuy
2014UnknownHaydn Porteous
2013Darren FichardtDylan Frittelli
2012Trevor Fisher JnrDaniel van Tonder
2011Jean HugoAllan Versfeld
2010Jaco van ZylAnthony Michael
2009UnknownGraham DeLaet
2008Louis Moolman
2007Ross McGowan
2006–07Rossouw Loubser
2005–06Mohamed Tayob
2004–05Garry Houston
2003–04Johan Edfors
2002–03Charl Schwartzel
2001–02Nicholas Lawrence
2000–01Trevor Immelman
1999–2000Jean Hugo
1998–99Unknown
1997–98Richard Fulford
1996–97Unknown
1995–96Alan McLean
1994–95Unknown
1993–94Brenden Pappas

Notes

  1. ^ Schedules have also included events in Botswana, eSwatini, Kenya, Mauritius, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

References

  1. ^ Berkovitz, Anton & Samson, Andrew (1993). South Africa and international sports factfinder. D. Nelson. p. 96. ISBN 1868061019. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Vodacom boosts PGA tour, annoys competitor". Mail & Guardian. 13 June 1997. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  3. ^ "A Brief History of the Sunshine Tour". Golf Village. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  4. ^ Butler, Lynn. "Sunshine Tour transforming SA golf in honour of Papwa Sewgolum". Sport
  5. ^ "Transformation in Golf | Papwa Sewgolum Class"
  6. ^ "Charamba rewrites history at SAA Pro-Am Invitational". Sunshine Tour. 22 May 2006. Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  7. ^ "OWGR Board Announcement". Official World Golf Ranking. 15 April 2016. Archived 17 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 June 2023. Following a recent announcement that the top 5 players on the final 2016 MENA Golf Tour Order of Merit will earn full playing privileges on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa, as well as the MENA Golf Tour receiving 10 exemptions into the Sunshine Tour Final Stage of Qualifying School and 3 Tri Sanctioned Tournaments with the MENA Golf Tour, Sunshine Tour and the Big Easy Tour…
  8. ^ "Sunshine Tour announces new Luno Order of Merit". Compleat Golfer. 5 May 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  9. ^ "European Tour and Sunshine Tour launch landmark partnership". European Tour. 9 July 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2023.