The Sunshine Tour has expanded its footprint into Kenya and East Africa, introducing the Sunshine Development Tour.
The South Africa-based Sunshine Tour has signed a three-year exclusive contract with leading sports marketing agency IMG Kenya Limited to launch and operationalise this brand new mixed, professional development golf Tour in Kenya and East Africa.
The Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing will offer professional golfers and elite amateurs, both men and women, a chance to play regular competitive golf tournaments organised in line with Sunshine Tour standards.
Commenting on the Tour, IMG Kenya CEO, Peter Gacheru said it is set to revolutionise professional and elite amateur golf in the region.
“We are very pleased to be partnering with the Sunshine Tour of South Africa to bring the Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing to the region. It is our conviction that this Tour will offer golfers the much-needed platform to play consistent and competitive golf to an ever-increasing standard, whilst providing them with a steady revenue stream.
“Our objective is to enhance the quality of professional golf in Kenya and the region, provide elite amateurs and juniors with a development pad, and elevate our profile as a golfing community on the global stage.
“We believe that, through this Tour, our local and regional golf landscape will be transformed to produce globally acclaimed golf champions whilst providing a development pipeline for future talent.
“We look forward to joining hands with other like-minded partners to grow this event to make it bigger, more sustainable, and more impactful for the present and future of golf in the region.”
This Tour will include 10 to 15 events annually and will deliver Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, which are crucial for player advancement, providing local professional golfers with a genuine merit-based “pathway” into global golf. OWGR points are also crucial for qualification to the Olympic Games.
Commenting on the deal, Sunshine Tour commissioner, Thomas Abt, said: “The launch of the Sunshine Development Tour is a significant moment for golf in Africa as we are able to create unrivalled opportunities for professional golfers and the top two amateurs in East Africa. We now have an effective vehicle to unearth the talent on the continent and bring new stars to the game.
“The Sunshine Tour and Sunshine Ladies Tour have effective global pathways in place that are perfectly suited to the development of talent in Africa.
“We look forward to launching the Sunshine Development Tour in what is a milestone moment for the game in Africa, and one in which we can play an important role in the growth of golf here.”
Ahead of the tour, IMG Kenya and the Sunshine Tour have organised a qualifying event (Q-School) from 30 March to 2 April at the Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club. The qualifying school will be a four-day tournament with a prize money of Sh1-million.
“Ordinarily Q-Schools don’t offer prize money, but we made a decision at IMG Kenya to kickstart the Tour with an incentive for the professional golfers,” Gacheru added.
The Q-School is a mandatory pre-requisite for earning OWGR points on the East Africa Swing, and all players hoping to join the tour may register online at easwing.epass.co.ke.
Players completing the four-round qualifier event will be awarded tour cards for the 2025-26 season and the top 10 qualifiers will earn invitations to the Sunshine Tour Final Stage Qualifier in Johannesburg, from 8-11 April.
Photo: Sunshine Tour
