The inaugural Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing is set to launch with a double-header, kicking off at Thika Greens Golf Resort from June 3–6, 2025, followed closely by the second event at Ruiru Sports Club from June 9–11.
These first two events in the 15-leg tour will feature a mixed field of professional and elite amateur golfers from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi, all competing over 54 holes for a share of the Ksh2 million prize purse at each tournament.
Players will also have a chance to earn valuable Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.
Following the Qualifying School (Q-School) held earlier in April at the Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf Resort, these events mark the first competitive opportunity for successful qualifiers to gain OWGR points and Sunshine Development Tour recognition.
Each event is expected to draw more than 80 players, including 15 invited golfers from South Africa’s Big Easy Tour.
Both tournaments will feature a 36-hole cut to determine the final round field.
The Thika and Ruiru events will serve as the season openers for the 2025/2026 schedule, which is set to run from June 2025 through February 2026 with tournaments across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda.
Commenting on the launch, Charles Gacheru, the East Africa Swing Tour Promoter, said:
“We are excited to begin the 2025/2026 season of the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing with these back-to-back events at Thika Greens and Ruiru. This marks an important opportunity for our Q-School graduates and selected guest players to gain world ranking points, earn prize money, and build competitive experience.
We expect an elite field and competitive golf over three exciting days. With 15 events planned across the region, we will soon unveil the full calendar as we finalize agreements with our partners.”
The Sunshine Tour, one of the world’s leading professional golf circuits, officially expanded into Kenya and the East African region in March with the launch of the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing.
The series is designed to create a structured pathway for elite amateurs and professional golfers to compete in top-tier events that align with Sunshine Tour standards.
The tour began with a Q-School event held March 31–April 3, 2025, at the Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf Resort in Naivasha, where Rwanda’s Celestin Nsanzuwera claimed victory in the KSh 1 million prize event.
The top 10 players from Q-School secured slots in the Sunshine Tour Final Stage Qualifier in Johannesburg, South Africa (April 8–11), where Kenya’s Njoroge Kibugu, of Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club, was the top local finisher, tying for 40th after making the cut.
All Q-School participants also earned playing cards for the East Africa Swing, giving them the opportunity to compete in OWGR-sanctioned events and accumulate Sunshine Development Tour points — significantly enhancing their chances of progressing on the global golf stage.
