The Sunshine Tour & DP World Tour meet at St Francis Links in March

The Sunshine Tour & DP World Tour meet at St Francis Links in March

The Sunshine Tour has strengthened its global partnership with the DP World Tour with the announcement of two new DP World Tour events on the schedule in 2023, with increased prize money and live coverage on SuperSport.

Since opening in 2006, St Francis Links has hosted tournaments at every level of play, gender and age

The two new DP World Tour events will begin with the $1.5 million SDC Championship to be played at St Francis Links in the Eastern Cape from 16-19 March.

St Francis Links

Since opening in 2006, St Francis Links has hosted tournaments at every level of play, gender and age. They have hosted the Sunshine Tour - Vodacom Origins of Golf nine times, the PGA Championship twicewith three more years to come, the Standard Bank Ladies’ Series and many SAGA/Golf RSA order of merit championships.

All of this has contributed to building their reputation as a great venue, not only for tournaments but all that comes with them

The Senior Women’s Nationals were played there, as well as the Senior Men’s Interprovincial. St Francis Links has also hosted to the EP Champs for many years. All of this has contributed to building their reputation as a great venue, not only for tournaments but all that comes with them.

St Francis Links

SDC has grown its commitment to the Sunshine Tour following its debut as a sponsor of a Challenge Tour co-sanctioned event in 2022 and will now be a title partner of events on both the DP World Tour and Challenge Tour schedules in South Africa in 2023.

This SDC Championship will be followed by the $1.5 million Jonsson Workwear Open, which will be played at Steyn City in Johannesburg from 23-26 March.

Jonsson Workwear has also grown its commitment to the Sunshine Tour from a Challenge Tour event in 2022 to a major DP World Tour event in 2023. This also marks the second year that Steyn City will host a DP World Tour event.

We are delighted to further strengthen our longstanding relationship with the Sunshine Tour by adding these two new co-sanctioned tournaments that significantly enhance what has always been a popular destination for our members

Both these tournaments will take on even greater significance on the global stage as they offer Ryder Cup points to the European professionals competing in a Ryder Cup year. They join the Joburg Open, the Investec South African Open Championship, the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open to make it six co-sanctioned events between the Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour on the latter’s 2023 Race to Dubai presented by Rolex.

“We are delighted to further strengthen our longstanding relationship with the Sunshine Tour by adding these two new co-sanctioned tournaments that significantly enhance what has always been a popular destination for our members. We have worked very hard with the Sunshine Tour to develop the global pathway that we now offer and we’re seeing the fruits of this with the exciting new talent emerging from the Sunshine Tour and earning a place on the DP World Tour,” said Keith Pelley, Chief Executive Officer of the DP World Tour.

Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour, said, “We are incredibly excited about what will be another very strong start to the New Year for the Sunshine Tour as we continue to develop and strengthen our relationships with the DP World Tour. These relationships play a key role in allowing us to give our members the best possible opportunity to take their careers to the next level as we bring more world-class international golf to our fairways.”