Sunshine Tour

Professional golf tour

Sunshine TourCurrent season, competition or edition:
2025–26 Sunshine Tour

Formerly| Sunshine Circuit
South African Tour
Southern Africa Tour
Vodacom Tour
FNB Tour
Sport| Golf
Founded| 1971 (rebranded as the Sunshine Tour in 2000)
Commissioner| Thomas Abt
Countries| Based in South Africa[a]
Most titles| Order of Merit titles:
Mark McNulty (8)
Tournament wins:
Mark McNulty (33)
Broadcaster(s)| SuperSport
Related
competitions| Big Easy Tour
Official website| http://www.sunshinetour.com

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]

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 €1,000,000 to US$6,500,000, 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 R 500,000; 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

[edit]

Main article: 2024–25 Sunshine Tour

## Order of Merit winners

[edit]

Season | Winner | Points

|
|

2024–25 |  Daniel van Tonder | 4,155
2023–24 |  Ryan van Velzen | 3,525
2022–23 |  Ockie Strydom | 3,336
Season | Winner | Prize money (R)
2021–22 |  Shaun Norris | 4,890,994
2020–21 |  Christiaan Bezuidenhout | 7,789,088
2019–20 |  J. C. Ritchie | 2,162,387
2018–19 |  Zander Lombard | 2,119,985
2017–18 |  George Coetzee (2) | 2,937,226
2016–17 |  Brandon Stone | 7,384,889
2015 |  George Coetzee | 5,470,684
2014 |  Thomas Aiken | 4,057,642
2013 |  Dawie van der Walt | 5,094,333
2012 |  Branden Grace | 2,760,319
2011 |  Garth Mulroy | 3,464,463
2010 |  Charl Schwartzel (4) | 5,097,914
2009 |  Anders Hansen | 4,286,038
2008 |  Richard Sterne | 5,599,265
2007 |  James Kingston | 1,980,689
2006–07 |  Charl Schwartzel (3) | 1,585,117
2005–06 |  Charl Schwartzel (2) | 1,207,460
2004–05 |  Charl Schwartzel | 1,635,850
2003–04 |  Darren Fichardt (2) | 726,545
2002–03 |  Trevor Immelman | 2,044,280
2001–02 |  Tim Clark | 1,669,901
2000–01 |  Mark McNulty (8) | 1,603,481
1999–2000 |  Darren Fichardt | 558,735
1998–99 |  David Frost | 1,189,762
1997–98 |  Mark McNulty (7) | 589,053
1996–97 |  Nick Price (2) | 1,223,027
1995–96 |  Wayne Westner | 709,389
1994–95 |  Ernie Els (2) | 460,488
1993–94 |  Tony Johnstone (2) | 297,359
1992–93 |  Mark McNulty (6) | 250,079
1991–92 |  Ernie Els | 324,017
1990–91 |  John Bland (4) | 333,637
1989–90 |  John Bland (3) | 180,893
1988–89 |  Tony Johnstone | 254,950
1987–88 |  John Bland (2) | 143,301
1986–87 |  Mark McNulty (5) | 134,690
1985–86 |  Mark McNulty (4) | 113,527
1984–85 |  Mark McNulty (3) | 57,750
1983–84 |  Gavan Levenson | 43,940
1982–83 |  Nick Price | 31,986
1981–82 |  Mark McNulty (2) | 67,054
1980–81 |  Mark McNulty | 50,192
1979–80 |  Gary Player (2) | 49,680
1978–79 |  Hugh Baiocchi | 19,804
1977–78 |  John Bland | 25,171
1976–77 |  Gary Player | 19,363
1975–76 |  Allan Henning (2) | 18,275
Season | Winner | Points
1974–75 |  Allan Henning | 1,833
1973–74 |  Bobby Cole | 1,664
1972–73 |  Dale Hayes | 1,252
1971–72 |  Tienie Britz | 1,604

### Multiple winners

[edit]

Rank | Player | Wins | Years won

|
|
|

1 |  Mark McNulty | 8 | 1980–81, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1992–93, 1997–98, 2000–01
2 |  John Bland | 4 | 1977–78, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1990–91
Charl Schwartzel | 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2010
T4 |  George Coetzee | 2 | 2015, 2017–18
Ernie Els | 1991–92, 1994–95
Darren Fichardt | 1999–2000, 2003–04
Allan Henning | 1974–75, 1975–76
Tony Johnstone | 1988–89, 1993–94
Gary Player | 1976–77, 1979–80
Nick Price | 1982–83, 1996–97

## Awards

[edit]

Season | Players' Player of the Year | Rookie of the Year

|
|

2024–25 | No award |  Altin van der Merwe
2023–24 |  Robin Williams
2022–23 |  Casey Jarvis
2021–22 |  Jayden Schaper (2)
2020–21 |  Jayden Schaper
2019–20 |  Garrick Higgo
2018–19 |  Benjamin Follett-Smith
2017–18 |  Oliver Bekker |  Neil O'Briain
2016–17 | Unknown |  Christiaan Bezuidenhout
2015 |  Dean Burmester |  Rourke van der Spuy
2014 | Unknown |  Haydn Porteous
2013 |  Darren Fichardt |  Dylan Frittelli
2012 |  Trevor Fisher Jnr |  Daniel van Tonder
2011 |  Jean Hugo |  Allan Versfeld
2010 |  Jaco van Zyl |  Anthony Michael
2009 | Unknown |  Graham DeLaet
2008 |  Louis Moolman
2007 |  Ross McGowan
2006–07 |  Rossouw Loubser
2005–06 | Unknown
2004–05 |  Garry Houston
2003–04 |  Johan Edfors
2002–03 |  Charl Schwartzel
2001–02 |  Nicholas Lawrence
2000–01 |  Trevor Immelman
1999–2000 |  Jean Hugo
1998–99 | Unknown
1997–98 |  Richard Fulford
1996–97 | Unknown
1995–96 |  Alan McLean
1994–95 | Unknown
1993–94 |  Brenden Pappas

## Notes

[edit]

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

## References

[edit]

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. Johannesburg, South Africa. 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 from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
7. ^ "OWGR Board Announcement". Official World Golf Ranking. 15 April 2016. Archived from the original on 17 April 2016. 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.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Sunshine Tour events

Tournaments in playing order

* Waterfall City Tournament of Champions
* FBC Zim Open
* Kit Kat Cash & Carry Pro-Am
* SunBet Challenge (Sun City)
* Mopani Zambia Open
* SunBet Challenge (Wild Coast)
* FNB Eswatini Challenge
* Vodacom Origins of Golf at Highland Gate
* SunBet Challenge (Time Square Casino)
* Gary & Vivienne Player Challenge
* Bain's Whisky Ubunye Championship
* Vodacom Origins of Golf at Sishen
* SunBet Challenge (Sun Sibaya)
* Vodacom Origins of Golf at Wild Coast Sun
* Fortress Invitational
* Blue Label Challenge
* Vodacom Origins of Golf Final
* PGA Championship
* Alfred Dunhill Championship (E)
* AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open (E)
* Mediclinic Invitational
* SDC Open (C)
* MyGolfLife Open (C)
* Cell C Cape Town Open (C)
* NTT Data Pro-Am (C)
* Hyundai Open
* Investec South African Open Championship (E)
* Joburg Open (E)
* Serengeti Invitational
* The Tour Championship

(C) – co-sanctioned by the Challenge Tour; (E) – co-sanctioned by the European Tour.

* v
* t
* e

Sunshine Tour seasons

* 1970
* 1971–72
* 1972–73
* 1973–74
* 1974–75
* 1975–76
* 1976–77
* 1977–78
* 1978–79
* 1979–80

* 1980–81
* 1981–82
* 1982–83
* 1983–84
* 1984–85
* 1985–86
* 1986–87
* 1987–88
* 1988–89
* 1989–90

* 1990–91
* 1991–92
* 1992–93
* 1993–94
* 1994–95
* 1995–96
* 1996–97
* 1997–98
* 1998–99
* 1999–2000

* 2000–01
* 2001–02
* 2002–03
* 2003–04
* 2004–05
* 2005–06
* 2006–07
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009

* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016–17
* 2017–18
* 2018–19
* 2019–20

* 2020–21
* 2021–22
* 2022–23
* 2023–24
* 2024–25
* 2025–26

* v
* t
* e

Men's professional golf tours

Principal tours
and their development tours|

* Asian Tour
* Asian Development Tour
* European Tour
* Challenge Tour
* Japan Golf Tour
* Japan Challenge Tour
* PGA Tour
* Korn Ferry Tour
* PGA Tour Americas
* PGA Tour of Australasia
* Sunshine Tour
* Big Easy Tour

Other tours|

* Asian Tour-affiliated: MENA Tour

* European Tour-affiliated: Alps Tour
* China Tour
* Clutch Pro Tour
* Korean Tour
* Nordic Golf League (incorporates Danish Golf Tour, Finnish Tour and Swedish Golf Tour)
* Pro Golf Tour
* Professional Golf Tour of India
* Tartan Pro Tour

* Other: All Thailand Golf Tour
* Charles Tour
* Gira de Golf Profesional Mexicana
* LIV Golf
* Minor League Golf Tour
* Philippine Golf Tour
* Professional Golf of Malaysia Tour
* TPG Tour

Senior tours|

* European Senior Tour
* PGA Tour Champions

Defunct tours|

* ASEAN PGA Tour
* Asia Golf Circuit
* eGolf Professional Tour
* Forme Tour
* Gateway Tour
* Golden Bear Tour
* Golf Tour of New Zealand
* LocaliQ Series
* New Zealand Golf Circuit
* NGA Pro Golf Tour
* Norwegian Golf Tour
* Omega China Tour
* OneAsia Tour
* PGA EuroPro Tour
* PGA Tour Canada
* PGA Tour China
* PGA Tour Latinoamérica
* PGT Asia
* Safari Circuit
* Tour de las Américas
* US Pro Golf Tour
* Von Nida Tour

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