As St Francis Links prepares to host its first Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned tournament with this month’s SDC Championship, the focus is on presenting a golf course that is “as playable as it is beautiful”.
It’s a week on the Sunshine Tour when the drive to the golf course takes you past a herd of wildebeest and antelope. A week when professional Kyle Barker rides a mountain bike on the dirt roads to the Zebula Country Club clubhouse. A week when some afternoon fishing or game viewing is always a possibility. And a week when the winner of the SDC Open will most likely be handed his trophy in a presentation featuring the local elephants.
The Sunshine Tour tees off its first tournament of 2023 in this week’s Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open at the Royal Cape Golf Club. It marks the start of a four-week stretch of tournaments co-sanctioned with the European Challenge Tour, and with South Africa’s Dylan Mostert amongst those looking forward to taking advantage of the opportunity on offer.
SA Tourism has joined the list of exclusive partners to the Sunshine Tour and will tee off this relationship during the upcoming international Challenge Tour co-sanctioned tournaments in South Africa, beginning with this week’s Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open at Royal Cape Golf Club.
Thriston Lawrence, who this past weekend won his second DP World Tour title, will make his debut in this year’s Nedbank Golf Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club at Sun City from 10-13 November.
After 12 years on tour and more than his fair share of close calls, heartache and injuries, Anthony Michael finally claimed his first victory on the Sunshine Tour in the Vodacom Origins of Golf at Highland Gate Golf and Trout Estate on Saturday.
Albert Venter completed an inspired three days of golf as he won the SunBet Challenge at Wingate Park Country Club by six strokes on Friday.
George Coetzee celebrated his first Sunshine Tour victory on the Vodacom Origins of Golf series, as he successfully defended his title at De Zalze Golf Club on Saturday.
South Africa’s top-ranked golfers Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel have resigned their membership from the PGA Tour to play in the Saudi-backed LIV Golf International Series.
The Sunshine Tour’s 2022-23 season tees off in the Western Cape this week with the Lombard Insurance Classic at Arabella Country Estate.