Sunshine Tour

Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox sports league 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<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and the Vodacom Tour.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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 Template:Currency to Template:Currency, 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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 Template:Currency; paid in Bitcoin.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Schedule

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Order of Merit winners

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

Multiple winners

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

Awards

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

External links

• Template:Official site