2019–20 Sunshine Tour
| Duration | 28 March 2019 – 23 February 2020 |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 25[a] |
| Most wins |  J. C. Ritchie (3) |
| Order of Merit | J. C. Ritchie |
| Rookie of the Year | Garrick Higgo |
← 2018–19 2020–21 → | |
The 2019–20 Sunshine Tour was the 49th season of the Sunshine Tour (formerly the Southern Africa Tour), the main professional golf tour in South Africa since it was formed in 1971.
Schedule
[edit]The following table lists official events during the 2019–20 season.[1]
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse (R) | Winner[b] | OWGR points | Other tours[c] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar | Mopani Redpath Greendoor Logistics Zambia Open | Zambia | 2,500,000 | Daniel van Tonder (3) | 14 | ||
| 7 Apr | Zanaco Masters | Zambia | 2,000,000 | J. C. Ritchie (5) | 14 | ||
| 4 May | Investec Royal Swazi Open | Eswatini | 1,500,000 | Martin Rohwer (1) | 14 | ||
| 19 May | Lombard Insurance Classic | Eswatini | 1,000,000 | Jake Redman (1) | 4 | ||
| 7 Jun | Sun City Challenge | North West | 1,000,000 | Garrick Higgo (1) | 7 | ||
| 30 Jun | KCB Karen Masters | Kenya | 2,200,000 | Toto Thimba Jr. (1) | 14 | ||
| 2 Aug | Royal Swazi Spa Challenge | Eswatini | 1,000,000 | Ruan Conradie (1) | 7 | ||
| 24 Aug | Vodacom Origins of Golf at Sishen | Northern Cape | 1,000,000 | Ockie Strydom (1) | 4 | ||
| Zimbabwe Open | Zimbabwe | – | Cancelled[2] | – | |||
| 7 Sep | King's Cup | Eswatini | 1,000,000 | Jaco Ahlers (8) | 7 | New tournament | |
| 28 Sep | Vodacom Origins of Golf at Humewood | Eastern Cape | 1,000,000 | Merrick Bremner (6) | 4 | ||
| 5 Oct | Vodacom Origins of Golf at Stellenbosch | Western Cape | 1,000,000 | Thriston Lawrence (1) | 4 | ||
| 11 Oct | Sun Wild Coast Sun Challenge | KwaZulu-Natal | 1,000,000 | Jean Hugo (19) | 7 | ||
| 19 Oct | Vodacom Origins of Golf at Selborne Park | KwaZulu-Natal | 1,000,000 | Jaco Ahlers (9) | 7 | ||
| 25 Oct | Sibaya Challenge | KwaZulu-Natal | 1,000,000 | Hennie Otto (13) | 7 | ||
| 2 Nov | Vodacom Origins of Golf Final | Western Cape | 1,000,000 | George Coetzee (10) | 7 | ||
| 17 Nov | Nedbank Golf Challenge | North West | US$7,500,000 |  Tommy Fleetwood (n/a) | 36 | EUR[d] | Limited-field event |
| 1 Dec | Alfred Dunhill Championship | Mpumalanga | €1,500,000 |  Pablo Larrazábal (n/a) | 19 | EUR | |
| 8 Dec | AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open | Mauritius | €1,000,000 |  Rasmus Højgaard (n/a) | 17 | ASA, EUR | |
| 12 Jan | South African Open | Gauteng | 17,500,000 | Branden Grace (6) | 32 | EUR | Flagship event |
| 19 Jan | Eye of Africa PGA Championship | Gauteng | 2,000,000 | Darren Fichardt (17) | 14 | ||
| 25 Jan | Gauteng Team Championship | Gauteng | 1,500,000 | Jaco Prinsloo (3) and J. C. Ritchie (6) | n/a | Team event | |
| 2 Feb | Limpopo Championship | Limpopo | 3,500,000 | J. C. Ritchie (7) | 13 | CHA | |
| 9 Feb | RAM Cape Town Open | Western Cape | 3,500,000 |  Anton Karlsson (n/a) | 13 | CHA | |
| 16 Feb | Dimension Data Pro-Am | Western Cape | 6,300,000 | Christiaan Bezuidenhout (2) | 13 | CHA | Pro-Am |
| 23 Feb | The Tour Championship | Gauteng | 1,500,000 | Garrick Higgo (2) | 14 | Tour Championship |
Order of Merit
[edit]The Order of Merit was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in South African rand.[3][4]
| Position | Player | Prize money (R) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | J. C. Ritchie | 2,162,387 |
| 2 | Daniel van Tonder | 2,043,268 |
| 3 | Jaco Ahlers | 1,902,195 |
| 4 | George Coetzee | 1,722,930 |
| 5 | Thriston Lawrence | 1,377,891 |
Awards
[edit]| Award | Winner | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Rookie of the Year (Bobby Locke Trophy) | Garrick Higgo | [5][6] |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ One further tournament was scheduled but was cancelled.
- ^ 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.
- ^ ASA − Asian Tour; CHA − Challenge Tour; EUR − European Tour.
- ^ European Tour Rolex Series
References
[edit]- ^ "2019/20 Tournament schedule". Sunshine Tour. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ Chitsiga, Takudzwa (11 July 2019). "Zim Open tourney cancelled again". The Chronicle. Zimbabwe. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
- ^ "2019/20 Order of Merit". Sunshine Tour. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "JC Ritchie wins the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit". Sportyard. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ "2019/20 Rookie of the Year". Sunshine Tour. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- ^ Michael Vlismas [@MichaelVlismas] (24 February 2020). "@garrick_higgo wins the Tour Championship and @Sunshine_Tour Rookie of the Year trophy" (Tweet). Retrieved 18 April 2023 – via Twitter.