# 2021–22 Sunshine Tour

The 2021–22 Sunshine Tour was the 51st season of the Sunshine Tour (formerly the Southern Africa Tour), the main professional golf tour in South Africa since it was formed in 1971.

## In-season changes

In January 2021, the schedule was again disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic as several tournaments scheduled for early in the year were postponed by a month or more, with the season restarting in March. Among the tournaments affected were three co-sanctioned events with the Challenge Tour.

## European Tour partnership

The season marked the start of a partnership between the Sunshine Tour and the European Tour. As part of the agreement, the top three players on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit (not otherwise exempt) gained status to play on the European Tour for the following season.

## Schedule

The following table lists official events during the 2021–22 season.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse (R) | Winner | OWGR points | Other tours | Notes |
| 7 Mar 7 Feb | Kit Kat Group Pro-Am | Gauteng | 1,000,000 | Rhys Enoch (2) | 8 | | New Pro-Am tournament |
| 14 Mar | Players Championship | Gauteng | 1,000,000 | Jaco Prinsloo (4) | 14 | | New tournament |
| 21 Mar | Gauteng Championship | Gauteng | 1,000,000 | Jbe' Kruger (5) | 14 | | New tournament |
| 28 Mar | Serengeti Pro-Am Invitational | Gauteng | 1,500,000 | Jaco Prinsloo (5) | 14 | | New Pro-Am tournament |
| 28 Mar | The Tour Championship | Gauteng | – | Removed | – | | Tour Championship |
| 18 Apr | Zanaco Masters | Zambia | – | Removed | – | | |
| 25 Apr 28 Feb | Limpopo Championship | Limpopo | 3,000,000 | Brandon Stone (4) | 13 | CHA | |
| 2 May 21 Feb | Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open | Western Cape | 3,000,000 | J. C. Ritchie (8) | 13 | CHA | |
| 9 May 14 Feb | Dimension Data Pro-Am | Western Cape | 6,000,000 | Wilco Nienaber (1) | 13 | CHA | Pro-Am |
| 4 Jun | SunBet Challenge (Sun City) | North West | 1,000,000 | Alex Haindl (3) | 7 | | New tournament series |
| 6 Aug | Vodacom Origins of Golf at De Zalze | Western Cape | 1,000,000 | George Coetzee (12) | 7 | | |
| 13 Aug | FNB Eswatini Nkonyeni Challenge | Eswatini | – | Removed | – | | New tournament |
| 20 Aug | SunBet Challenge (Time Square Casino) | Gauteng | 1,000,000 | Estiaan Conradie (1) | 4 | | |
| 28 Aug | Vodacom Origins of Golf at Sishen | Gauteng | 1,000,000 | Alex Haindl (4) | 4 | | |
| 4 Sep | King's Cup | Eswatini | – | Removed | – | | |
| 10 Sep | Sunshine Tour Invitational | Gauteng | 1,000,000 | Jacques Kruyswijk (2) | 4 | | New tournament |
| 12 Sep | Zanaco Masters | Zambia | – | Removed | – | | |
| 18 Sep | Vodacom Origins of Golf at Mount Edgecombe | KwaZulu-Natal | 1,000,000 | Louis Albertse (1) | 4 | | |
| 26 Sep | Karen Masters | Kenya | – | Removed | – | | |
| 2 Oct | Vodacom Origins of Golf at Humewood | Eastern Cape | 1,000,000 | Daniel Greene (1) | 4 | | |
| 9 Oct | SunBet Challenge (Wild Coast Sun) | KwaZulu-Natal | – | Cancelled | – | | |
| 16 Oct | Blue Label Challenge | North West | 1,500,000 | Lyle Rowe (3) | 14 | | New tournament |
| 24 Oct | Blair Atholl Championship | Gauteng | 1,250,000 | Luke Brown (1) | 14 | | New tournament |
| 7 Nov | PGA Championship | Eastern Cape | 1,200,000 | Dean Burmester (8) | 14 | | |
| 14 Nov | Nedbank Golf Challenge | North West | – | Cancelled | – | EUR | |
| 27 Nov | Joburg Open | Gauteng | 17,500,000 | Thriston Lawrence (2) | 19 | EUR | |
| 5 Dec | SA Open Championship | North West | US$500,000 | Daniel van Tonder (8) | 32 | EUR | Flagship event |
| 12 Dec | Alfred Dunhill Championship | Mpumalanga | – | Cancelled | – | EUR | |
| 30 Jan | Vodacom Origins of Golf Final | North West | 1,000,000 | Martin Rohwer (2) | 8 | | |
| 6 Feb | Kit Kat Group Pro-Am | Gauteng | – | Cancelled | – | | Pro-Am |
| 13 Feb | Dimension Data Pro-Am | Western Cape | 6,000,000 | Alexander Knappe (1) | 13 | CHA | Pro-Am |
| 20 Feb | Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open | Western Cape | US$250,000 | J. C. Ritchie (9) | 13 | CHA | |
| 27 Feb | Jonsson Workwear Open | KwaZulu-Natal | US$250,000 | J. C. Ritchie (10) | 13 | CHA | New tournament |
| 6 Mar | Mangaung Open | Free State | US$250,000 | Oliver Hundebøll (n/a) | 13 | CHA | New tournament |
| 13 Mar | MyGolfLife Open | North West | US$1,500,000 | Pablo Larrazábal (n/a) | 23 | EUR | New tournament |
| 20 Mar | Steyn City Championship | Gauteng | US$1,500,000 | Shaun Norris (3) | 19 | EUR | New tournament |
| 27 Mar | SDC Open | Limpopo | US$250,000 | Clément Sordet (n/a) | 13 | CHA | New tournament |
| 3 Apr | Limpopo Championship | Limpopo | US$250,000 | Mateusz Gradecki (n/a) | 13 | CHA | |
| 10 Apr | Mount Kilamanjaro Klassic | Tanzania | – | Removed | – | CHA | New tournament |
| 24 Apr | Stella Artois Players Championship | Gauteng | 2,000,000 | Jaco Ahlers (10) | 14 | | |
| 1 May | The Tour Championship | Gauteng | 1,500,000 | Tristen Strydom (1) | 14 | | Tour Championship |

### Unofficial events

The following events were sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse (R) | Winner | OWGR points | Other tours | Notes |
| 6 May | Altron Vusi Ngubeni Tournament | Gauteng | 100,000 | Yubin Jung | n/a | | New tournament |

## Order of Merit

The Order of Merit was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in South African rand. The top three players on the Order of Merit (not otherwise exempt) earned status to play on the 2023 European Tour (DP World Tour).
| Position | Player | Prize money (R) | Status earned |
| 1 | Shaun Norris | 4,890,994 | Already exempt |
| 2 | Dean Burmester | 4,196,182 | Already exempt |
| 3 | Thriston Lawrence | 3,854,950 | Already exempt |
| 4 | Oliver Bekker | 3,359,398 | Already exempt |
| 5 | Hennie du Plessis | 2,779,485 | Already exempt |
| 6 | J. C. Ritchie | 2,691,199 | Already exempt |
| 7 | Zander Lombard | 1,949,393 | Already exempt |
| 8 | Daniel van Tonder | 1,943,891 | Promoted to European Tour |
| 9 | Tristen Strydom | 1,843,480 | Promoted to European Tour |
| 10 | George Coetzee | 1,816,637 | Already exempt |
| 11 | Wilco Nienaber | 1,735,209 | Promoted to European Tour |

## Awards

| Award | Winner | Ref. |
| Rookie of the Year (Bobby Locke Trophy) | Jayden Schaper | |