Thomas Abt has been promoted to commissioner of the Sunshine Tour and will assume his new role from Thursday, 1 October.
Abt served as deputy commissioner since of the Tour since February 2018 and will replace current commissioner Selwyn Nathan, who will stay on as deputy chairman and executive director of the Tour for the transition phase.
The restructuring comes as part of the Sunshine Tour’s new vision to move it into a new era for South African golf.
‘I’m extremely honoured to be handed this responsibility. I cannot thank Selwyn enough for giving me this opportunity and the time I have spent learning from him, and I’m also grateful to the Sunshine Tour board of directors for placing their faith in me,’ Abt commented.
‘This is an exciting time for the Sunshine Tour as we embark on a new journey with a number of new innovations to bring professional golf in Southern Africa to our fans, and I’m looking forward to building on the incredible foundation we have with our many valued sponsors and partners.’
Nathan added that Abt was the best-suited candidate for the job and is well established in the golfing fraternity. Abt was ultimately groomed as deputy commissioner to eventually take over from Nathan.
‘I take great pleasure in welcoming Thomas to the new role of commissioner. Thomas is widely respected throughout the world of golf for his role as first a tournament promoter and then his duties as deputy commissioner. I cannot think of anybody more qualified and more passionate about the Sunshine Tour to take it forward into a new era of growth,’ Nathan said.
Business magnate Johann Rupert, chairman of the Sunshine Tour, also paid tribute to Nathan’s contribution to not only the Sunshine Tour but South African golf as a whole.
COTM September 2020: King David Mowbray
‘Selwyn has served South African golf in many forms for 50 years, and he has always done so with the interests of the game at heart. As commissioner of the Sunshine Tour, Selwyn has helped to grow the Tour to its strongest position in decades. He has led admirably through some of the greatest challenges, not least of which has been the Covid-19 pandemic. He has also planned for the future of the Tour through his expert mentoring of Thomas Abt, who now assumes this responsibility. The board of directors is extremely grateful for the invaluable contribution he has made.’
