Shot in the arm for East Africa Golfers as Sunshine Development Tour announce exciting changes

NAIROBI, Kenya, December 30 – The Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing (SDT-EAS) has announced an expanded calendar for Season 2, that will take place from April 2026 to January 2027.

Season 2 of the Tour will feature 14 events across East Africa, building on the success and momentum of Season 1.

The Tour’s vision, to offer professional and elite amateur golfers, of either gender, consistent and competitive tournaments, ratified by the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) will continue to guide the execution of Season 2.

The SDT-East Africa Swing Season 2 will tee-off with a Qualifying School scheduled for April 2026 at Thika Greens Golf Resort where the top ten finishers will earn invitations to compete at the Sunshine Tour Final Stage Qualifier in South Africa. 

The tour will then move to Thika Sports Club, which will host an SDT-EAS event for the first time from the April 19 to April 21 before making its way to the capital, Nairobi, in June for back to back events at the Royal Nairobi Golf Club and Vet Lab Sports Club from June 7 to June 9 and June 14 to June 16 respectively.

The tour will then head to the Kenyan Coast for two events at the Vipingo Ridge Golf Resort and Diamonds Leisure Golf Resort from July 10 to July 12 and July 17 to July 19 respectively.

Ruiru Sports Club will host the sixth leg of Season 2 from August 16 to August 18, before the Tour heads to the city of a thousand hills, Kigali, Rwanda, for the seventh leg at the Kigali Golf Resort and Villas from September 1 to September 3, marking the second consecutive year the tour will have been hosted at the venue.

October will feature a Rift Valley double-header, beginning with Nakuru Golf Club from October 18th to 20th, then the Great Rift Valley Golf Resort from October 25th to 27th.

Nyali Golf and Country Club will host the Tour from December 6th to 8th after which the Tour will head to the serene Limuru Country Club from January 17 – 19 2027.

The season will conclude with the staging of two finales; the first will be the SDT-EAS Finale to be held at the Sigona Golf Club from February 5-7, 2027 and the second will be the Sunshine Development Tour Africa Championship from March 18-21, 2027, at a venue to be announced.

The Championship will bring together the top 30 golfers from the East Africa Swing and the top 30 players from South Africa’s Big Easy Tour, with players competing for playing cards the main Sunshine Tour for the 2027/28 season.

Commenting on the expanded calendar, Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing Tournament Director David Kihara said the structure reflects the Tour’s long term development vision.

“This calendar is a deliberate step forward for professional golf in East Africa. We are increasing the number of events, spreading them across different regions, and giving players consistency, stability, and a clear competitive pathway. Our objective is to create a Tour that prepares players properly for global golf, not just through competition, but through exposure to different courses, conditions, and tournament environments,” Kihara said.

He added: “The response from clubs and players has been encouraging. Hosting first time venues like Thika Sports Club, Vipingo Ridge, Nakuru and Sigona shows how the Tour is gaining trust and momentum across the region.”

The Sunshine Development Tour was established to provide professional golfers and elite amateurs, both men and women, with regular, high quality competitive tournaments organised to Sunshine Tour standards.

The impact of the Tour’s inaugural season has already been felt.

Kenya’s Njoroge Kibugu and Naomi Wafula secured historic playing cards on the Sunshine Tour and Sunshine Ladies Tour respectively after strong performances on the Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing.

Their achievements marked the first time Kenyan golfers earned full tour cards to major professional golf tours.

Kibugu secured his Sunshine Tour card by winning three Sunshine Development Tour events during the season at Thika Greens Golf Resort, Nyali Golf Club and VetLab Sports Club.

Wafula earned her Sunshine Ladies Tour card after an outstanding season in which she made seven of eight cuts on the Tour.

She will compete under a newly created African Affiliate category, granting her access to the Sunshine Ladies Tour.

Their success underlines the growing importance of the Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing as a clear and merit-based pathway to Olympic qualification and global professional golf.

Sunshine Development Tour East Africa Swing 2026/2027 Schedule: