(Right) Speaker Margaret Arnolds
After a groundbreaking 2025, the 2026 Sunshine Ladies Tour is set to build on the growth of women’s golf with a strengthened schedule and a range of other local and global incentives.
The season will run from February to May 2026 and will again feature two tournaments co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour (LET). Anchoring the 2026 schedule will be the co-sanctioned events: the [http://MMC%20Arnolds%20tees%20off%20Joburg%20Ladies%20Open,%20showcasing%20Johannesburg%20as%20a%20premier%20sporting%20hub]Joburg Ladies Open (Randpark Golf Club Firethorn Course from 16-19 April) and the Investec South African Women’s Open (Royal Cape Golf Club from 23-26 April).
The strengthened scheduled will also feature the addition of the new MCB Ladies Classic to be played in Mauritius at Constance Bell Mare Plage from 1-3 May.
“We’re very excited about our 2026 schedule and the continued effort by our team to grow women’s golf in our country and beyond. The schedule is bolstered by the two co-sanctioned tournaments with the LET and furthermore, the LET tournament in Mauritius will also count towards the Investec Order of Merit,” said Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour and speaking on behalf of the [http://Mimi%20Rhodes%20beats%20the%20rain%20to%20win%20the%202025%20Joburg%20Ladies%20Open]Sunshine Ladies Tour.
Growing our player pathway is incredibly important for us and the 2026 schedule provides our Sunshine Ladies Tour professionals with even greater opportunities to develop their careers on an international stage. We’re incredibly grateful to our sponsors and partners for their support of this vision.”
The season will once again feature the overall chase to be crowned the Investec Order of Merit champion, which brings with it a R200 000 bonus and the use of a Renault vehicle for a year. South Africa’s Casandra Alexander won this title this year.
The Investec South African Women’s Open will also offer its Homegrown Award, which is a R100 000 bonus above the first-place prize money should the winner of the tournament be a South African.
The R&A Rookie of the Year award will see the leading rookie at the end of the season receive automatic exemptions, if not already exempt, into the 2027 Investec South African Women’s Open and Joburg Ladies Open. South Africa’s Kaiyuree Moodley was crowned The R&A Rookie of the Year this year.
Each of the winners on this year’s Sunshine Ladies Tour will receive exemptions to compete with the Sunshine Tour professionals in the Waterfall City Tournament of Champions supported by Attacq and WCMC, where they will challenge with the men’s professionals for a first prize of R1 million at Royal Johannesburg’s famed East Course.
