SUNSHINE TOUR
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
MOST TOUR WINS BY ACTIVE PLAYERS 21 Jean Hugo 18 Darren Fichardt 15 George Coetzee, Jaco van Zyl 14 Hennie Otto 13 Jaco Ahlers, Daniel van Tonder 11 Dean Burmester, J C Ritchie 10 Louis Oosthuizen 9 D oug McGuigan, Trevor Fisher, Charl Schwartzel, Oliver Bekker FIRST-TIME SA WINNERS Samuel Simpson, Zambia Open Herman Loubser, VOG Parys Warwick Purchase, Fortress Casey Jarvis, Hyundai Open Jayden Schaper, Alfred Dunhill M J Daffue, NTT Data Pro-Am Martin Vorster, Tour Championship MULTIPLE WINNERS 3 Casey Jarvis 2 Luis Carrera, Jayden Schaper BIGGEST VICTORY MARGIN 10 shots – Luis Carrera, Kit Kat Pro-Am WAYWARD SCORING Kyle De Beer 65-79 Kit Kat Pro-Am Ruan Conradie 81-64 Gowrie Farm Jordan Duminy 80-66 Gowrie Farm Rupert Kaminski 68-81 Cape Town Open George Coetzee 67-79 Cape Town Open MOST TOP-5 FINISHES 6 Pieter Moolman 5 H erman Loubser, M J Viljoen, Casey Jarvis, Hennie du Plessis, Jon Broomhead 4 O liver Bekker, Daniel van Tonder, Christiaan Burke, Austin Bautista, Yurav Premlall, Luke Brown, Jaco Prinsloo, Altin van der Merwe MOST TOP-10 FINISHES 11 Pieter Moolman 8 M J Viljoen, Austin Bautista 7 H erman Loubser, Daniel van Tonder, Deon Germishuys, Luis Carrera, Jaco Prinsloo 6 C asey Jarvis, Samuel Simpson, Michael Hollick, Luke Brown, Martin Vorster, Lyle Rowe MOST BIRDIES 355 Herman Loubser 353 Jaco Prinsloo 320 Samuel Simpson 314 Graham vd Merwe 310 Luke Brown 309 Pieter Moolman 305 Christiaan Burke, Gerhard Pepler 302 Jason Roets 297 Martin Vorster
MOST BIRDIES IN TOURNAMENT 27 Albert Venter, Pezula 27 Bryce Easton, Pezula 25 Luis Carrera, Irene CC* 25 Casey Jarvis, Ebotse 25 Ryan van Velzen, Ebotse 25 Jaco Prinsloo, De Zalze *Plus 3 eagles MOST EAGLES 18 Kyle Barker 17 Luis Carrera 16 J J Senekal, Samuel Simpson MOST EAGLES IN TOURNAMENT 4 Barend Botha, Pezula LEADING STROKE AVERAGES 67.50 Casey Jarvis 67.95 Hennie du Plessis 68.85 J C Ritchie 69.17 Dylan Frittelli
This has been a breakthrough season for Herman Loubser, who sealed third place on the Order of Merit with a good finish in the season-ending DNi Tour Championship at De Zalze. The 27-year-old has been on tour since 2017 and claimed his second victory last August in the Vodacom Origins event at Parys. He had a good first half of the season with that win and three other runner-up finishes. Importantly he made the cut in all four of the co-sanctioned DPWT events which earned him prizemoney of R837 000. Loubser played nearly every week – he leads the tour with most birdies at 334 – and missed just four cuts. Karabo Mokoena began the season as a pre-qualifier, and come October it wasn’t looking good for him, as he had missed 8 cuts in nine appearances and earned just R14 400. Fortunately, he then found form and produced a stunning opening round of 62 at Randpark Firethorn in the Stella Artois Players Championship. That week gave him the confidence to perform well in the Alfred Dunhill Champion- ship at Royal Johannesburg where he banked a career-best cheque for R291 000. By finishing 75th on the Order of Merit he has kept his card for the first time.
Haydn Porteous won the Vodacom Origins trophy at Gowrie Farm.
Mexico’s Luis Carrera made Sunshine Tour history in May last year when he became the first player to win the Qualifying School tournament and the first two events of the season. The 25-year-old made South Africa his temporary new home and played in 27 tournaments. He took Fortress Rookie of the Year honours. He triumphed in the Zimbabwe Open at Royal Harare, and then the following week demolished the field in the Kit Kat Cash & Carry Pro-Am at Irene CC. He was 30-under-par following a final round 62, winning by 10 shots. His 258 matched Kyle Barker’s total at Dainfern in the 2023 Players Championship. Carrera, the first Mexican to gain a tour card, had clinched Q School honours with a closing 61 at Heron Banks, and in those three victories he was 68-under. Having looked so invincible to begin with, and an exciting foreign prospect for the tour, Carrera’s form tailed off during the year. Although he had five top-10s, he never contended again, and missed the cut in three of the four co- sanctioned DP World Tour events. His World Ranking though climbed from 1866 at the start of 2025 to a current 471. Australian Austin Bautista, not a rookie, was another foreigner to win on tour outside the co-sanctioned tournaments. A final round 62 saw him capture the Sunbet Challenge at the Wild Coast to become the first Australian to win here since Adam Scott at the 2001 Alfred Dunhill Championship – Scott’s maiden victory as a pro. Warwick Purchase, another promising Ekurhuleni product, was the leading
Oliver Bekker was the oldest winner on tour, at 41 winning his ninth Sunshine Tour title at the Jonsson Workwear Open. His first was the 2011 Northern Cape Classic at Kimberley. Bekker has emigrated to live in Perth, Australia, and his shift in focus towards competing in Asia in 2026 will lighten the load on his travel schedule. “To go from Perth to Japan is a direct flight of nine hours, and it's one of the longest I'll have to do. The travel is a lot easier for where I'm go- ing to spend most of my career. With my current status I can play about 16 or 17 tournaments, which is more than enough for me. I don't want to be doing 28 weeks a year anymore.”
Oliver Bekker won the Jonsson Workwear Open.
69.24 Daniel van Tonder 69.33 Kieron van Wyk 69.52 Deon Germishuys 69.54 Jaco Prinsloo 69.59 Pieter Moolman 69.59 Brandon Stone
YOUNGEST SA OPEN CHAMPIONS Allan Henning 1963 19 Gary Player 1956 20 Ernie Els 1992 22 Brandon Stone 2016 22 Casey Jarvis 2026 22 Dale Hayes 1976 23 Trevor Immelman 2003 23 LOWEST WINNING SA OPEN SCORES 263 Ernie Els 2010 263 Branden Grace 2020 264 Ernie Els 2006 266 Casey Jarvis 2026 266 Louis Oosthuizen 2018
Haydn Porteous, a former Jo- burg Open champion, didn’t have any status on the Sunshine Tour this past season until he won the weather-curtailed 36-hole Vod- acom Origins event at Gowrie Farm last September, his first outing on an invite. The 31-year-old continued to play well for the rest of the year and began 2026 with a runner-up finish in the Cell C Challenge at Killarney. He started that tournament 64-64 to show he has clearly regained his form. He confirmed that with a T-6 in the SA Open at Stellen- bosch. Having finished 113th with R88 000 on the Order of Merit last year, Porteous banked R2 million for the season, more than half of that in two of the co-sanctioned events. Gerhard Pepler has regained the title of longest driver on tour with an average of 339.3 yards. He fin- ished 42nd on the Order of Merit. Christiaan Burke was next on 324, ahead of Kyle Barker (323.4), with Warwick Purchase tied on 319.3 with Wilco Nienaber.
Benjamin Follett- Smith recorded the lowest round of the Sunshine Tour, a 60 at Fancourt Outeni- qua in the NTT Data Pro-Am. The 32-year- old Zimbabwean had earlier clinched his third Sunshine Tour title in the Cell C Challenge at Killar- ney. Follett-Smith won the Cape Town Open in 2019 and 2023 but had never had another top-5 on tour before Killarney.
local rookie in third place. He triumphed in the Fortress Invitational at Glendower, where he shot a third round 62.
Rookie of the year race 1 Luis Carrera 2 Allen John 3 Warwick Purchase 4 Pierre Viallaneix 5 Kieron van Wyk
Samuel Simpson claimed his maiden tour win in Zambia.
Gary Player presented Benjamin Follett-Smith his trophy at the Cell C Challenge.
130 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 131
MARCH/APRIL 2026
MARCH/APRIL 2026
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