Staff WriterHang on to your spikes, folks, because the South African Women’s Open is about to bring a final flourish to the Sunshine Ladies Tour’s 12th season.
This prestigious showdown, now in its 32nd edition at Erinvale Country & Golf Estate, promises a heady mix of drama, top-class golf, and enough rewards to make any pro’s eyes light up.
The finest talents from South African women’s professional golf and the Ladies European Tour have assembled to battle it out for the historic trophy and a wallet-stretching purse of €340 000 (approximately R7.1 million).
With the prize money raised by an extra € 20,000 this year, you can bet there’s plenty of swing in everyone’s step.
And if that wasn’t enough evidence of the game’s surging popularity, the Sunshine Ladies Tour is hosting a rare double pro-am—a first in its history.
Victory in the Investec South African Women’s Open this week is only part of the temptation.
There’s also the quest to finish the season atop the Investec Order of Merit and pocket a cool R200 000 bonus.
South Africans have even more to play for: a homegrown winner takes home an additional R100 000, not to mention a leading South African on the Order of Merit driving off into the sunset with the use of a Renault for a year.
That’s precisely the tall order facing South Africa’s Casandra Alexander, who has stormed through the circuit as the current No. 1 on the Investec Order of Merit.
She hasn’t finished outside the top five in her last six tournaments, a run that includes one victory and two runner-up finishes.
With two second-place finishes on the Merit list in 2021 and 2023 and a third-place finish in 2022, Alexander is in the form of her life heading into Erinvale.
“This level of consistency is exactly what I’ve been working towards. The aim has been to be in contention every single week, and I’ve achieved that. So hopefully the form continues,” she said.
Fans of new talent won’t want to blink either, because the Sunshine Ladies Tour will also crown its first R&A Rookie of the Year.
South Africa’s Kaiyuree Moodley currently leads the rookie race following a breakout season, which includes three top-10 finishes and a freshly minted Ladies European Tour card.
As if that’s not enough motivation, the R&A Rookie of the Year will enjoy exemptions into the 2026 Joburg Ladies Open and 2026 Investec South African Woman’s Open—unless, of course, they’ve already earned their stripes elsewhere.
It’s all right in line with Investec’s commitment to backing extraordinary talent. “Investec’s support of women’s golf is to create exactly these opportunities for growth in the game and to help unlock the investment in this talent.
It’s a privilege for us to continue supporting homegrown female talent in golf on the international stage, and along with our partners we’ve increased the prize money this year as part of our commitment to the continued elevation of the national Open and women’s golf,” said Peta Dixon, head of sponsorships at Investec.
“In the broader sense of women’s sport, the Investec South African Women’s Open is a powerful statement of what’s possible through out-of-the-ordinary partnerships in women’s sport as a whole.
We had a memorable Investec South African Open on the men’s Sunshine Tour in which Dylan Naidoo made history, and this week’s Investec South African Women’s Open is poised to be equally career-defining for the champion.”
Best of all, entrance to Erinvale is absolutely free, with free parking at Lourensford Wine Estate.
Can’t make it there in person? You can still follow every swing, chip, and putt on SuperSport from Thursday through Sunday.
One thing’s certain: if you love golf, this final chapter of the Sunshine Ladies Tour season is not to be missed.
