2021–22 Sunshine Tour
Duration | 5 March 2021 (2021-03-05) – 1 May 2022 (2022-05-01) |
---|---|
Number of official events | 30[a] |
Most wins | ![]() |
Order of Merit | ![]() |
Rookie of the Year | ![]() |
← 2020–21 2022–23 → |
The 2021–22 Sunshine Tour was the 51st season of the Sunshine Tour (formerly the Southern Africa Tour), the main professional golf tour in South Africa since it was formed in 1971.
In-season changes
In January 2021, the schedule was again disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic as several tournaments scheduled for early in the year were postponed by a month or more, with the season restarting in March. Among the tournaments affected were three co-sanctioned events with the Challenge Tour.[1]
European Tour partnership
The season marked the start of a partnership between the Sunshine Tour and the European Tour. As part of the agreement, the top three players on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit (not otherwise exempt) gained status to play on the European Tour for the following season.[2]
Schedule
The following table lists official events during the 2021–22 season.[3]
Date | Tournament | Location | Purse (R) | Winner[b] | OWGR points | Other tours[c] | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7 Mar[d] | Kit Kat Group Pro-Am | Gauteng | 1,000,000 | ![]() | 8 | New Pro-Am tournament | |
14 Mar | Players Championship | Gauteng | 1,000,000 | ![]() | 14 | New tournament | |
21 Mar | Gauteng Championship | Gauteng | 1,000,000 | ![]() | 14 | New tournament | |
28 Mar | Serengeti Pro-Am Invitational | Gauteng | 1,500,000 | ![]() | 14 | New Pro-Am tournament | |
The Tour Championship | Gauteng | – | Removed[e] | – | Tour Championship | ||
Zanaco Masters | Zambia | – | Removed[e] | – | |||
25 Apr[d] | Limpopo Championship | Limpopo | 3,000,000 | ![]() | 13 | CHA | |
2 May[d] | Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open | Western Cape | 3,000,000 | ![]() | 13 | CHA | |
9 May[d] | Dimension Data Pro-Am | Western Cape | 6,000,000 | ![]() | 13 | CHA | Pro-Am |
4 Jun | SunBet Challenge (Sun City) | North West | 1,000,000 | ![]() | 7 | New tournament series | |
6 Aug | Vodacom Origins of Golf at De Zalze | Western Cape | 1,000,000 | ![]() | 7 | ||
FNB Eswatini Nkonyeni Challenge | Eswatini | – | Removed[e] | – | New tournament | ||
20 Aug | SunBet Challenge (Time Square Casino) | Gauteng | 1,000,000 | ![]() | 4 | ||
28 Aug | Vodacom Origins of Golf at Sishen | Gauteng | 1,000,000 | ![]() | 4 | ||
King's Cup | Eswatini | – | Removed[e] | – | |||
10 Sep | Sunshine Tour Invitational | Gauteng | 1,000,000 | ![]() | 4 | New tournament | |
Zanaco Masters | Zambia | – | Removed[e] | – | |||
18 Sep | Vodacom Origins of Golf at Mount Edgecombe | KwaZulu-Natal | 1,000,000 | ![]() | 4 | ||
Karen Masters | Kenya | – | Removed[e] | – | |||
2 Oct | Vodacom Origins of Golf at Humewood | Eastern Cape | 1,000,000 | ![]() | 4 | ||
SunBet Challenge (Wild Coast Sun) | KwaZulu-Natal | – | Cancelled[f] | – | |||
16 Oct | Blue Label Challenge | North West | 1,500,000 | ![]() | 14 | New tournament | |
24 Oct | Blair Atholl Championship | Gauteng | 1,250,000 | ![]() | 14 | New tournament | |
7 Nov | PGA Championship | Eastern Cape | 1,200,000 | ![]() | 14 | ||
Nedbank Golf Challenge | North West | – | Cancelled[5] | – | EUR | ||
27 Nov | Joburg Open | Gauteng | 17,500,000 | ![]() | 19 | EUR | |
5 Dec | SA Open Championship | North West | US$500,000[g] | ![]() | 32 | Flagship event | |
Alfred Dunhill Championship | Mpumalanga | – | Cancelled[7] | – | EUR | ||
30 Jan | Vodacom Origins of Golf Final | North West | 1,000,000 | ![]() | 8 | ||
Kit Kat Group Pro-Am | Gauteng | – | Cancelled[h] | – | Pro-Am | ||
13 Feb | Dimension Data Pro-Am | Western Cape | 6,000,000 | ![]() | 13 | CHA | Pro-Am |
20 Feb | Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open | Western Cape | US$250,000 | ![]() | 13 | CHA | |
27 Feb | Jonsson Workwear Open | KwaZulu-Natal | US$250,000 | ![]() | 13 | CHA | New tournament |
6 Mar | Mangaung Open | Free State | US$250,000 | ![]() | 13 | CHA | New tournament |
13 Mar | MyGolfLife Open | North West | US$1,500,000 | ![]() | 23 | EUR | New tournament |
20 Mar | Steyn City Championship | Gauteng | US$1,500,000 | ![]() | 19 | EUR | New tournament |
27 Mar | SDC Open | Limpopo | US$250,000 | ![]() | 13 | CHA | New tournament |
3 Apr | Limpopo Championship | Limpopo | US$250,000 | ![]() | 13 | CHA | |
Mount Kilamanjaro Klassic | Tanzania | – | Removed[9] | – | CHA | New tournament | |
24 Apr | Stella Artois Players Championship | Gauteng | 2,000,000 | ![]() | 14 | ||
1 May | The Tour Championship | Gauteng | 1,500,000 | ![]() | 14 | 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[c] | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 May | Altron Vusi Ngubeni Tournament | Gauteng | 100,000 | ![]() | n/a | New tournament |
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in South African rand.[10][11] The top three players on the Order of Merit (not otherwise exempt) earned status to play on the 2023 European Tour (DP World Tour).[12]
Position | Player | Prize money (R) | Status earned |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | 4,890,994 | Already exempt[i] |
2 | ![]() | 4,196,182 | Already exempt[j] |
3 | ![]() | 3,854,950 | Already exempt[i] |
4 | ![]() | 3,359,398 | Already exempt[j] |
5 | ![]() | 2,779,485 | |
6 | ![]() | 2,691,199 | Already exempt[k] |
7 | ![]() | 1,949,393 | Already exempt[j] |
8 | ![]() | 1,943,891 | Promoted to European Tour |
9 | ![]() | 1,843,480 | |
10 | ![]() | 1,816,637 | Already exempt[j] |
11 | ![]() | 1,735,209 | Promoted to European Tour |
Awards
Award | Winner | Ref. |
---|---|---|
Rookie of the Year (Bobby Locke Trophy) | ![]() | [17][18] |
See also
Notes
- ^ A further 11 tournaments were scheduled but were either cancelled, postponed or otherwise removed from the schedule.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d Originally postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- ^ a b c d e f Removed from the schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- ^ Cancelled due to rain.[4]
- ^ Reduced from US$1,500,000 after losing European Tour co-sanctioning as a result of COVID-19 related travel restrictions.[6]
- ^ Cancelled after one round due to rain.[8]
- ^ a b Norris and Lawrence were already exempt due to being tournament winners on the 2022 European Tour (DP World Tour).[13][14]
- ^ a b c d Burmester, Bekker, du Plessis, Lombard and Coetzee were already exempt due to finishing inside the Top 117 of the 2022 DP World Tour Rankings.[15]
- ^ Ritchie was already exempt due to finishing inside the Top 20 of the 2022 Challenge Tour Rankings.[16]
References
- ^ "Sunshine Tour postpones start of 2021 schedule until March". News24. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ "European Tour and Sunshine Tour launch landmark partnership". European Tour. 9 July 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ "2021/22 Tournament schedule". Sunshine Tour. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ "SunBet Challenge cancelled". Compleat Golfer. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
Rain continued to fall on the already waterlogged Wild Coast Sun Country Club course overnight and, with no play possible on Thursday, the Sunshine Tour took the decision to cancel the SunBet Challenge...
- ^ "Nedbank Golf Challenge cancelled for second year in a row". News24. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ Ballengee, Ryan (26 November 2021). "New Covid variant, flight bans affect Joburg Open, South African Open, Alfred Dunhill Championship". Golf News Net. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
The South African Open will be played as an event only sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour, with a purse of $500,000.
- ^ "Alfred Dunhill Championship cancelled". Compleat Golfer. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ Somdyala, Kamva (5 February 2022). "Inclement Gauteng weather forces cancellation of golf's Kit Kat Pro-Am event". News24. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ "Challenge Tour statement on the Mount Kilimanjaro Klassic". European Tour. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ "2021/22 Order of Merit". Sunshine Tour. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ "Strydom claims record Tour Championship win". Compleat Golfer. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
Shaun Norris claimed the top spot on the final Order of Merit thanks largely to his victory in the DP World Tour co-sanctioned Steyn City Championship.
- ^ "Sunshine Tour number ones shining on the DP World Tour". European Tour. 14 March 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
Last year, Daniel van Tonder, Tristen Strydom and Wilco Nienaber benefited from a new exemption for the leading three players, not otherwise exempt, from the 2022 Sunshine Tour rankings.
- ^ "Norris claims emotional victory in Steyn City Championship". Irish Golfer. 20 March 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ "Saturday's golf: Thriston Lawrence wins 36-hole Joburg Open after 3rd round abandoned". Detroit News. Associated Press. 27 November 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ "2022 DP World Tour Rankings". European Tour. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- ^ "2022 Road to Mallorca". European Tour. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
- ^ "2021/22 Rookie of the Year". Sunshine Tour. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- ^ Sunshine Tour [@Sunshine_Tour] (3 May 2022). "Congratulations to @schaperjayden on ending the 2021/22 #SunshineTour season as the Rookie of the year" (Tweet). Retrieved 18 April 2023 – via Twitter.
External links
- Official website
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