Sunshine Ladies Tour announces new Rookie of the Year award in partnership with The R&A

The Sunshine Ladies Tour has announced its first ever Rookie of the Year award supported by The R&A and including valuable incentives for the winner.

The winner of The R&A Rookie of the Year award at the end of the current Sunshine Ladies Tour season will, if not already exempt, receive automatic exemptions into the 2026 Joburg Ladies Open and the 2026 Investec South African Woman’s Open, both of which are co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour (LET).

The R&A Rookie of the Year award comes as the Sunshine Ladies Tour celebrates its 12th season as the premier women’s golf tour in Africa which annually attracts the best South African talent to compete against strong international competition. This season’s Tour features an eight-tournament schedule with increased prize money, reflecting the ongoing growth in the women’s game.

“The Sunshine Ladies Tour is an important part of the player pathway in Africa, offering opportunities for players to develop and progress their careers. We’re proud to support The R&A Rookie of the Year award, an accolade for aspiring players to aim for, and hope the Tour continues to flourish,” said Kevin Barker, Director – Golf Development for GB&I and Africa at The R&A.

The R&A Rookie of the Year award will be a fiercely contested one, with 45 rookies competing on this year’s Tour.

“We are thrilled to provide an even greater incentive to newcomers on the Sunshine Ladies Tour in the form of The R&A Rookie of the Year award, and are grateful to The R&A for their support of this. This award will further motivate them to grow their games, while at the same time strengthen our pathway for the Tour’s young stars to compete at a high level and develop their careers,” said Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour and speaking on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour.

The Sunshine Ladies Tour has a proud history of national and international rookie winners.

South Africa’s Tandi McCallum won the 2009 Investec South African Women’s Open in her rookie season, while England’s Alice Hewson won the 2020 Investec South African Women’s Open during her rookie season and Swedish golfer Linn Grant won three times on the Sunshine Ladies Tour in her rookie season in 2022.