The Sunshine Ladies Tour have announced a bumper schedule for 2017, featuring nine counting events leading up to the fourth Chase to the Investec Cup for Ladies Final in March.
The season kicks off with the SuperSport Ladies Challenge in the first week of January, followed by the South African Women’s Masters and the South African Women’s Open.
Four events – the Ladies Tshwane Open, Cape Town Ladies Open, Sunshine Ladies Tour Dimension Data Challenge and the Sunshine Ladies Classic – will be staged in February, while the Sun International Ladies Challenge and Ladies Joburg Open follows in early March.
‘Our 2017 season will culminate in the fourth Chase to the Investec Cup for Ladies Final from 10-12 March, where the leading 10 professionals at the end of the series will contest the R1-million bonus pool and the winner-takes-all first prize,’ said Sunshine Tour chief executive Selwyn Nathan.
‘As we head into our fourth season, we applaud our sponsors Investec, the City of Joburg, the City of Tshwane, the City of Cape Town, Dimension Data and Sun International who helped us launch the Sunshine Ladies Tour in 2013 and who has stayed the course.
‘The Sunshine Tour has a strong historic relationship with these companies, and by extending their commitment to the Sunshine Ladies Tour, we share in the commitment to grow the women’s game in South Africa. The ongoing sponsorships from our partners, in particular Investec, reflect how closely we are working together and signify our mutual aspiration to provide our local talent with a growing platform for development.
‘We must also salute World Sports Promotions on collaborating with the City of Cape Town on reviving the South African Women’s Masters. The return of this prestigious championship to the circuit after an absence of seven years emphasises the growing footprint and the sustainability of the Sunshine Ladies Tour.’
Executive Director of Investec Property Robin Magid said: ‘We have a proud history of supporting women’s sport in South Africa and the Sunshine Ladies Tour has exceeded even our own expectations in the last three years.
‘The Chase to the Investec Cup for Ladies provides a fantastic incentive for our top-ranked players to showcase their skills to the supporters here at home, while imparting their experience to the rising wave of talent in South Africa.
‘We are delighted to continue our partnership with the Sunshine Ladies Tour in the dynamically expanding women’s professional golf market. It is a major sporting feather in our cap to play a key role in determining who finishes the season at the top of the rankings, all the while providing a stage where we can develop and nurture the amateurs who will one day represent South Africa on the global stage.’
Women’s PGA of South Africa chairperson Margie Whitehouse said: ‘The Sunshine Ladies Tour launched in 2013 to ensure the future of playing professionals in South Africa and the continued growth of golf in this region.
‘We have received tremendous support from numerous partners and sponsors, event promoters and golf clubs who share the same vision as us which is to extensively promote the game here at home and uplift the standard of golf in South Africa.
‘Going into our fourth season, we can look forward to another strong schedule of events in 2017 and we are extremely grateful for all the support to create opportunities for our members to compete on such a powerful Tour here at home.’
Picture of three-time Chase to the Investec Cup for Ladies champion, Lee-Anne Pace courtesy of Sunshine Ladies Tour
2017 SUNSHINE LADIES TOUR SCHEDULE
SuperSport Ladies Challenge
4-6 January
Huddle Park Golf Club
R 200 000
South African Women’s Masters
19-21 January
Rondebosch Golf Club
R 500 000
South African Women’s Open
26-28 January
San Lameer Country Club
R250 000
Ladies Tshwane Open
31 January-2 February
Zwartkop Country Club
R 200 000
Sunshine Ladies Tour Dimension Data Challenge
17-19 February
George Golf Club and Outeniqua at Fancourt
R 350 000 prize money
R100 000 pro-am prize fund
Sunshine Ladies Tour Classic
21-23 February
Glendower Golf Club
R 200 000
Sun International Ladies Challenge
28 February-2 March
Lost City Golf Course, Sun City
R 200 000
Ladies Joburg Open
5-7 March
Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club (East Course)
R 200 000
Chase to the Investec Cup for Ladies Final
10-12 March
Venue to be announced
R 1-million bonus pool
Winner prize to be announced
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