The 2022–23 Sunshine Tour was the 52nd season of the Sunshine Tour (formerly the Southern Africa Tour), the main professional golf tour in South Africa since it was formed in 1971.
Changes for 2022–23
The season marked the return of the FBC Zim Open, having not been played since 2018.[1]
In May 2022, the tour announced that the Order of Merit would be rebranded as the Luno Order of Merit, calculated using a points-based system rather than money earned.[2]
Schedule
The following table lists official events during the 2022–23 season.[3]
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse (R) |
Winner[a] | OWGR points |
Other tours[b] |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 May | Lombard Insurance Classic | Western Cape | 1,200,000 |  Herman Loubser (1)
|
7 | ||
| 22 May | FBC Zim Open | Zimbabwe | 2,000,000 | Albert Venter (1)
|
14 | ||
| 29 May | Sishen Classic | Northern Cape | 3,000,000 | Deon Germishuys (1)
|
14 | New tournament | |
| 3 Jun | SunBet Challenge (Sun City) | North West | 1,000,000 | Rourke van der Spuy (3)
|
4 | ||
| 12 Jun | Kit Kat Group Pro-Am | Gauteng | 1,000,000 | Dylan Mostert (1)
|
4 | Pro-Am | |
| 30 Jul | FNB Eswatini Nkonyeni Challenge | Eswatini | 1,000,000 | Jaco Prinsloo (6)
|
4 | New tournament[c] | |
| 6 Aug | Vodacom Origins of Golf at De Zalze | Western Cape | 1,150,000 | George Coetzee (13)
|
4 | ||
| 13 Aug | Bain's Whisky Ubunye Championship | Gauteng | 1,200,000 | Merrick Bremner (8) and Martin Rohwer (3)
|
n/a | New team event | |
| 19 Aug | SunBet Challenge (Time Square Casino) | Gauteng | 1,000,000 | Albert Venter (2)
|
2.43 | ||
| 27 Aug | Vodacom Origins of Golf at Highland Gate | Mpumalanga | 1,150,000 | Anthony Michael (1)
|
2.01 | ||
| 10 Sep | Gary & Vivienne Player Challenge | KwaZulu-Natal | 1,200,000 | Jaco van Zyl (15)
|
2.32 | New tournament | |
| 17 Sep | Vodacom Origins of Golf at San Lameer | KwaZulu-Natal | 1,150,000 | Wynand Dingle (1)
|
2.29 | ||
| 23 Sep | SunBet Challenge (Wild Coast Sun) | Western Cape | 1,000,000 | M. J. Viljoen (2)
|
1.97 | ||
| 1 Oct | Vodacom Origins of Golf at St Francis | Eastern Cape | 1,150,000 | Ruan Korb (2)
|
1.74 | ||
| 9 Oct | Fortress Invitational | Gauteng | 1,500,000 | Pieter Moolman (1)
|
2.40 | New tournament | |
| 15 Oct | Blue Label Challenge | North West | 2,500,000 |  Stephen Ferreira (1)
|
2.19 | Pro-Am | |
| 21 Oct | SunBet Challenge (Sun Sibaya) | KwaZulu-Natal | 1,000,000 | Dylan Naidoo (1)
|
1.37 | ||
| 30 Oct | Vodacom Origins of Golf Final | Western Cape | 1,500,000 | Combrinck Smit (1)
|
1.88 | ||
| 6 Nov | PGA Championship | Eastern Cape | 1,200,000 | George Coetzee (14)
|
2.37 | ||
| 27 Nov | Joburg Open | Gauteng | 17,500,000 |  Dan Bradbury (n/a)
|
9.24 | EUR | |
| 4 Dec | Investec South African Open Championship | Gauteng | US$1,500,000 | Thriston Lawrence (3)
|
12.12 | EUR | |
| 11 Dec | Alfred Dunhill Championship | Mpumalanga | €1,500,000 | Ockie Strydom (2)
|
14.59 | EUR | |
| 18 Dec | AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open | Mauritius | €1,000,000 |  Antoine Rozner (n/a)
|
8.60 | EUR | |
| 5 Feb | Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open | Western Cape | US$350,000 |  Benjamin Follett-Smith (2)
|
5.67 | CHA | |
| 12 Feb | Dimension Data Pro-Am | Western Cape | 7,000,000 | Oliver Bekker (8)
|
6.05 | CHA | Pro-Am |
| 19 Feb | SDC Open | Limpopo | US$350,000 | J. J. Senekal (3)
|
5.21 | CHA | |
| 26 Feb | Nelson Mandela Bay Championship | Eastern Cape | US$350,000 | Dylan Mostert (2)
|
5.25 | CHA | New tournament |
| 11 Mar | Mediclinic Invitational | Gauteng | 2,000,000 | Stefan Wears-Taylor (1)
|
2.34 | New tournament | |
| 19 Mar | SDC Championship | Eastern Cape | US$1,500,000 | Matthew Baldwin (n/a)
|
14.81 | EUR | New tournament |
| 26 Mar | Jonsson Workwear Open | Gauteng | US$1,500,000 |  Nick Bachem (n/a)
|
13.85 | EUR | |
| 2 Apr | Limpopo Championship | Limpopo | 2,000,000 | Ryan van Velzen (1)
|
2.51 | ||
| 16 Apr | Stella Artois Players Championship | Gauteng | 2,000,000 | Kyle Barker (1)
|
2.75 | ||
| 23 Apr | The Tour Championship | Gauteng | 2,000,000 | Jaco Ahlers (11)
|
2.88 | Tour Championship |
Unofficial events
The following events were sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse (R) |
Winner | OWGR points |
Other tours[b] |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Nov | Nedbank Golf Challenge | North West | US$6,000,000 | Tommy Fleetwood
|
14.92 | EUR | Limited-field event |
| 21 Apr | Altron Vusi Ngubeni Tournament | Gauteng | 100,000 | Robin Williams
|
n/a |
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit was titled as the Luno Order of Merit and was based on tournament results during the season, calculated using a points-based system.[4][5] The top three players on the Order of Merit (not otherwise exempt) earned status to play on the 2024 European Tour (DP World Tour).[6]
| Position | Player | Points | Status earned |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ockie Strydom |
3,336 | Already exempt[d] |
| 2 | Jaco Prinsloo |
2,327 | Promoted to European Tour |
| 3 | Thriston Lawrence |
2,318 | Already exempt[d] |
| 4 | Oliver Bekker |
2,117 | Promoted to European Tour |
| 5 | Dylan Mostert |
1,912 |
Awards
| Award | Winner | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Rookie of the Year (Bobby Locke Trophy) | Casey Jarvis |
[9][10] |
See also
Notes
- ^ The number in brackets after each winner's name is the number of Sunshine Tour events they had won up to and including that tournament. This information is only shown for Sunshine Tour members.
- ^ a b CHA − Challenge Tour; EUR − European Tour.
- ^ Tournament's debut delayed from 2020.
- ^ a b Strydom and Lawrence were already exempt due to being tournament winners on the 2023 European Tour (DP World Tour).[7][8]
References
- ^ "FBC Sponsors 2022 Zimbabwe Open Golf Tournament". FBC Bank Limited. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ "Sunshine Tour announces new Luno Order of Merit". Compleat Golfer. 5 May 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "2022/23 Tournament schedule". Sunshine Tour. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ "2022/23 Order of Merit". Sunshine Tour. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- ^ "Strydom to end Sunshine Tour season as a Major player". Sunshine Tour. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
Strydom goes into this week's Sunshine Tour season-ending Tour Championship at Serengeti Estates as the top-ranked golfer on the Tour's Luno Order of Merit. He cannot be caught this week so will end the season in first place.
- ^ Butler, Lynn (20 April 2023). "'Childhood dream come true': Sunshine boy Prinsloo with DP World Tour card in his pocket". News24. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ Hall, Mike (12 December 2022). "Ockie Strydom Claims Maiden DP World Tour Win In Alfred Dunhill Championship". Golf Monthly. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ "DP World Tour news: Thriston Lawrence avoids disaster to win South African Open". PlanetSport. 5 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
- ^ "2022/23 Rookie of the Year". Sunshine Tour. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- ^ "Casey Jarvis Named Rookie of the Year on the Sunshine Tour". TaylorMade Golf. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
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