Sunshine Tour
Encyclopedia
The Sunshine Tour is a men's professional golf
tour based in Southern Africa. For much of its history it was known either as the South African Tour or the FNB Tour, but it rebranded itself in an attempt to broaden its appeal. A large majority of the tour events are still staged in South Africa
.
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 always 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.
The tour's three leading official money events, the South African Open, the Alfred Dunhill Championship, and the Joburg Open
are co-sanctioned with the European Tour in order to attract stronger fields. Each season is scheduled across two calendar years and concludes with a tour championship in late February. The 2005/06 season included 21 official money events. The South African Open and the Dunhill Championship had purses of €
1 million each and the other 19 had purses designated in South African Rand
and ranging from 250,000 rand to 2 million rand. The tour also co-sanctions the US$
5 million HSBC Champions in China, but it is not an official money event.
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. There are separate qualifying schools in March and in late October/early November, effectively dividing the tour into two series of events. The March to October series is a developmental program for emerging, mainly local, players, held when all the leading Southern African players are plying their trade in other parts of the world. The November to February series attracts almost all the top South Africans, even if only for one or two events, and also some good quality international players.
The tour has been open to non-White players since 1991. The first three Black winners were John Mashego
at the 1991 Bushveld Classic, Lindani Ndwandwe at the 2001 Western Cape Classic and Tongoona Charamba
at the 2006 SAA Pro-Am Invitational.
The current richest golf tournament in South Africa is the Nedbank Golf Challenge
, an unofficial money but Sunshine Tour-recognized tournament. Starting in 2012, the Sunshine Tour will host a new World Golf Championships
event to be known as the Tournament of Hope, which is planned to have a purse of US$10 million, the richest in the sport.
Tournament prize funds do not count directly towards the Order of Merit. The richest events on the tour are those that are co-sanctioned with the European Tour
.
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
tour based in Southern Africa. For much of its history it was known either as the South African Tour or the FNB Tour, but it rebranded itself in an attempt to broaden its appeal. A large majority of the tour events are still staged in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
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 always prefer to play on the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
or the European Tour
PGA European Tour
The PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
if they can qualify to do so, typically returning to play in Sunshine Tour events a couple of times a year.
The tour's three leading official money events, the South African Open, the Alfred Dunhill Championship, and the Joburg Open
Joburg Open
The Joburg Open is a men's professional golf tournament on the Southern Africa based Sunshine Tour. The event was founded in 2007, and is played in January at the Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club in Johannesburg, South Africa....
are co-sanctioned with the European Tour in order to attract stronger fields. Each season is scheduled across two calendar years and concludes with a tour championship in late February. The 2005/06 season included 21 official money events. The South African Open and the Dunhill Championship had purses of €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
1 million each and the other 19 had purses designated in South African Rand
South African rand
The rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand , the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. The rand has the symbol "R" and is subdivided into 100 cents, symbol "c"...
and ranging from 250,000 rand to 2 million rand. The tour also co-sanctions the US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
5 million HSBC Champions in China, but it is not an official money event.
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. There are separate qualifying schools in March and in late October/early November, effectively dividing the tour into two series of events. The March to October series is a developmental program for emerging, mainly local, players, held when all the leading Southern African players are plying their trade in other parts of the world. The November to February series attracts almost all the top South Africans, even if only for one or two events, and also some good quality international players.
The tour has been open to non-White players since 1991. The first three Black winners were John Mashego
John Mashego
Mokgeteng John Mashego is a South African golfer who was the first black player to win a tournament on the Southern African Tour after it lifted its whites-only rule. His victory came at the 1991 Bushveld Classic, where he defeated Steve van Vuuren and Ian Palmer in a playoff.Mashengo was born in...
at the 1991 Bushveld Classic, Lindani Ndwandwe at the 2001 Western Cape Classic and Tongoona Charamba
Tongoona Charamba
Tongoona "TC" Charamba is a professional golfer from Zimbabwe.Charamba was born in Harare, Zimbabwe. He won 12 amateur tournaments, including the Zimbabwe Amateur Matchplay and Stokeplay Championships in 2002, and led the Zimbabwe Order of Merit from 2000 to 2002, before turning professional in...
at the 2006 SAA Pro-Am Invitational.
The current richest golf tournament in South Africa is the Nedbank Golf Challenge
Nedbank Golf Challenge
The Nedbank Golf Challenge is an annual men's professional golf tournament played at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, North West province, South Africa. It is not an official money event for any of the major tours, and like many high profile unofficial tournaments in professional golf it...
, an unofficial money but Sunshine Tour-recognized tournament. Starting in 2012, the Sunshine Tour will host a new World Golf Championships
World Golf Championships
The World Golf Championships are a group of four annual events for male professional golfers created by the International Federation of PGA Tours, with a fifth to be added in 2012...
event to be known as the Tournament of Hope, which is planned to have a purse of US$10 million, the richest in the sport.
Schedule
The Sunshine Tour consists of two distinct parts, commonly referred to as the "Summer Swing" and "Winter Swing". Tournaments held during the Summer Swing generally have much higher prize funds, attract stronger fields, and are the only tournaments on the tour to carry world ranking points. The Winter Swing runs from March to November, dividing the Summer Swing in two.Tournament prize funds do not count directly towards the Order of Merit. The richest events on the tour are those that are co-sanctioned with the European Tour
PGA European Tour
The PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
.
Order of Merit winners
The winner of the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit is awarded the Sid Brews Trophy. The Order of Merit winners are shown below. Players are required to play in a minimum number of tournaments to qualify for the Order of Merit. As the richest events on the tour (those co-sanctioned by the European Tour) tend to be won by players who don't play enough events to qualify, in recent years the Order of Merit winner has often not actually been the player who won most money in Sunshine Tour sanctioned events.- This list is incomplete.
Season Player Country Earnings (R South African randThe rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand , the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. The rand has the symbol "R" and is subdivided into 100 cents, symbol "c"...
)2010 Charl Schwartzel Charl SchwartzelCharl Adriaan Schwartzel is a South African professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour, European Tour, and the Sunshine Tour. He won the 2011 Masters Tournament. Schwartzel's highest world ranking has been number seven, in May 2011....
5,097,913.58 2009 Anders Hansen Anders HansenAnders Rosenberg Hansen is a Danish professional golfer.Hansen was born in Sønderborg, Denmark. He turned professional in 1995...
4,286,038.20 2008 Richard Sterne Richard Sterne (golfer)-Life and career:Sterne was born in Pretoria. He was runner-up in the Boys' 15-17 Division at the 1999 World Junior Golf Championships and turned pro in 2001. He played on the European Challenge Tour in 2002 and graduated to membership of the main European Tour in 2003. He won his first European...
5,599,264.60 2007 James Kingston James KingstonJames Hubert Kingston is a South African professional golfer.Kingston was born in Ottosdal, South Africa. He turned professional in 1988, and is currently a member of the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour...
1,980,688.65 2006/07 Charl Schwartzel Charl SchwartzelCharl Adriaan Schwartzel is a South African professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour, European Tour, and the Sunshine Tour. He won the 2011 Masters Tournament. Schwartzel's highest world ranking has been number seven, in May 2011....
1,585,117.41 2005/06 Charl Schwartzel Charl SchwartzelCharl Adriaan Schwartzel is a South African professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour, European Tour, and the Sunshine Tour. He won the 2011 Masters Tournament. Schwartzel's highest world ranking has been number seven, in May 2011....
1,207,459.70 2004/05 Charl Schwartzel Charl SchwartzelCharl Adriaan Schwartzel is a South African professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour, European Tour, and the Sunshine Tour. He won the 2011 Masters Tournament. Schwartzel's highest world ranking has been number seven, in May 2011....
1,635,850.44 2003/04 Darren Fichardt Darren FichardtDarren Clive Fichardt is a South African professional golfer.Fichardt was born in Pretoria and grew up in Centurion, Gauteng. He attended Sutherland High School from 1988 to 1993, where his talent for golf was nurtured...
726,544.74 2002/03 Trevor Immelman Trevor ImmelmanTrevor John Immelman is a South African professional golfer and winner of the 2008 Masters Tournament.-Early years:Immelman was born in Cape Town, South Africa. Born into a golfing family , he took up golf at the age of five. He attended Hottentots Holland High School...
2,044,279.45 2001/02 Tim Clark 1,669,900.71 2000/01 Mark McNulty Mark McNultyMark William McNulty is an Irish/Zimbabwean professional golfer currently playing on the Champions Tour. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, and cracked the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 83 weeks from 1987 to 1992.McNulty...
1,603,481.36 1999/00 Darren Fichardt Darren FichardtDarren Clive Fichardt is a South African professional golfer.Fichardt was born in Pretoria and grew up in Centurion, Gauteng. He attended Sutherland High School from 1988 to 1993, where his talent for golf was nurtured...
558,735.17 1998/99 David Frost David Frost (golfer)David Laurence Frost is a South African professional golfer who has more than twenty professional tournament wins to his name, spread across four continents....
1,189,761.60 1997/98 Mark McNulty Mark McNultyMark William McNulty is an Irish/Zimbabwean professional golfer currently playing on the Champions Tour. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, and cracked the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 83 weeks from 1987 to 1992.McNulty...
589,052.50 1996/97 Mark McNulty Mark McNultyMark William McNulty is an Irish/Zimbabwean professional golfer currently playing on the Champions Tour. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, and cracked the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 83 weeks from 1987 to 1992.McNulty...
556,226.57 1995/96 Wayne Westner Wayne WestnerWayne Brett Westner is a South African golfer.Westner was born in Johannesburg. He turned professional in 1981 and has won several events in his home country, including two South African Opens. He spent many years on the European Tour where he won two tournaments and had a best Order of Merit...
709,388.66 1994/95 Ernie Els Ernie ElsTheodore Ernest "Ernie" Els is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing...
460,488.35 1993/94 Tony Johnstone Tony JohnstoneAnthony Alastair Johnstone is a Zimbabwean professional golfer.Johnstone was born in Bulawayo, Rhodesia and attended Christian Brothers College. He lives in Sunningdale in England. He turned professional in 1979 and has spent his career playing mainly on the Southern African Sunshine Tour and in...
297,358.75 1992/93 Mark McNulty Mark McNultyMark William McNulty is an Irish/Zimbabwean professional golfer currently playing on the Champions Tour. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, and cracked the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 83 weeks from 1987 to 1992.McNulty...
250,079.16 1991/92 Ernie Els Ernie ElsTheodore Ernest "Ernie" Els is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing...
South Africa1990/91 John Bland John BlandJohn Louis Bland is a South African professional golfer who has won more than thirty professional tournaments around the world....
South Africa1989/90 John Bland John BlandJohn Louis Bland is a South African professional golfer who has won more than thirty professional tournaments around the world....
South Africa1988/89 Tony Johnstone Tony JohnstoneAnthony Alastair Johnstone is a Zimbabwean professional golfer.Johnstone was born in Bulawayo, Rhodesia and attended Christian Brothers College. He lives in Sunningdale in England. He turned professional in 1979 and has spent his career playing mainly on the Southern African Sunshine Tour and in...
1987/88 John Bland John BlandJohn Louis Bland is a South African professional golfer who has won more than thirty professional tournaments around the world....
South Africa1986/87 Mark McNulty Mark McNultyMark William McNulty is an Irish/Zimbabwean professional golfer currently playing on the Champions Tour. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, and cracked the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 83 weeks from 1987 to 1992.McNulty...
1985/86 Mark McNulty Mark McNultyMark William McNulty is an Irish/Zimbabwean professional golfer currently playing on the Champions Tour. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, and cracked the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 83 weeks from 1987 to 1992.McNulty...
1984/85 Mark McNulty Mark McNultyMark William McNulty is an Irish/Zimbabwean professional golfer currently playing on the Champions Tour. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, and cracked the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 83 weeks from 1987 to 1992.McNulty...
1983/84 Gavan Levenson Gavan LevensonGavan Neil Levenson is a South African professional golfer.Levenson was born in Johannesburg. He represented South Africa in the 1976 Eisenhower Trophy and won several major amateur tournaments including the French and Rhodesian Open Amateur Championships in 1978...
South Africa1982/83 Nick Price Nick PriceNicholas Raymond Leige Price is a South African-Zimbabwean Professional golfer and an inductee in the World Golf Hall of Fame. In the mid-1990s, Price reached number one in the Official World Golf Rankings.-Background:...
1981/82 Mark McNulty Mark McNultyMark William McNulty is an Irish/Zimbabwean professional golfer currently playing on the Champions Tour. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, and cracked the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 83 weeks from 1987 to 1992.McNulty...
1980/81 Mark McNulty Mark McNultyMark William McNulty is an Irish/Zimbabwean professional golfer currently playing on the Champions Tour. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, and cracked the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 83 weeks from 1987 to 1992.McNulty...
1979/80 Gary Player Gary PlayerGary Player DMS; OIG is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six...
South Africa1978/79 Hugh Baiocchi Hugh BaiocchiHugh John Baiocchi is a South African professional golfer who has won more than twenty professional tournaments around the world....
South Africa1977/78 John Bland John BlandJohn Louis Bland is a South African professional golfer who has won more than thirty professional tournaments around the world....
South Africa1976/77 Gary Player Gary PlayerGary Player DMS; OIG is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six...
South Africa1975/76 Allan Henning Allan HenningAllan Henning is a former professional golfer from South Africa.Henning won 10 tournaments on the South African Sunshine Tour between 1963 and 1980. His biggest win was the South African Open when it was played twice in 1963...
South Africa1974/75 Allan Henning Allan HenningAllan Henning is a former professional golfer from South Africa.Henning won 10 tournaments on the South African Sunshine Tour between 1963 and 1980. His biggest win was the South African Open when it was played twice in 1963...
South Africa1973/74 Hugh Baiocchi Hugh BaiocchiHugh John Baiocchi is a South African professional golfer who has won more than twenty professional tournaments around the world....
South Africa1972/73 Bobby Cole South Africa