While England’s Lily May Humphreys took the Investec Order of Merit on the Sunshine Ladies Tour 2023 season, three South Africans finished in the top five of the list to underscore the importance for local players of the 10th year of the burgeoning circuit.
Humphreys played all six tournaments, won one, had four other top 10s, and her worst finish was in the Investec South African Women’s Open Championship at Steenberg Golf Club when she shared 24th. South Africa’s Casandra Alexander played four, won two, finished in a share of seventh at Steenberg, and was within striking distance of Humphreys as the end, finishing second on the Order of Merit.
The other South Africans in the top five were rookie Kaleigh Telfer, who had three top-10s as she successfully mixed it up with the best players from Europe, and veteran Lee-Anne Pace, who did everything but win with four top-10s.
In a nice little bit of symmetry, the two other South Africans inside the top 10 of the Order of Merit were rookie Kiera Floyd in ninth with two top-10s, and the more experienced Nicole Garcia, who also had two top-10s, in 10th.
“It’s pretty cool to win the Investec Order of Merit,” said Humphreys. “I’m pretty happy about it. It’s been as good as I’ve played. It’s been a lot of golf, a lot of different golf courses, and different weather pretty much every week. I’ve really enjoyed it out here.
“I ran out of steam a little towards the end. It wasn’t my best golf over the last few days at Steenberg, but I’ll just reset and get ready for what lies ahead. I’ll definitely come back and play these events again. I’ll have to see how the schedule looks because I’m a winner now. I’ll have a full schedule on the Ladies European Tour, which is pretty exciting.”
It’s exactly that pathway which makes the Sunshine Ladies Tour such an important route for budding professionals: Humphreys got her win in the Joburg Open, co-sanctioned by the local tour and the Ladies European Tour. It was the fifth event of the circuit and she had played her way into a position to win and leapfrog her way into the big time.
And while it was AIG Women’s Open champion Ashleigh Buhai who won the other co-sanctioned tournament, the Investec South African Women’s Open, Telfer was able to convert her top-five finish there into a start on the main Ladies European Tour circuit with a place in the Aramco Team Series-Singapore the following week. That is a stepping stone which could be decisive in her budding professional career.
Buhai talked about the importance of the local tour ahead of her victory at Steenberg: “Obviously it’s fantastic to see how it’s grown, how the sponsors are starting to support women’s golf in South Africa. And you can see it in the trends in women’s golf around the world. All prize purses are starting to increase.
“And I think it’s so important to have these events for the local girls to be able to play, play on better courses, better set up, stronger fields so that they know when they’re ready to take that next step, where they really need to be.
“With six events on the tour now, I think there’s space for growth. I think if we could get it to double figures at least would be great. And also just to not only have February through April, because to be able to play all year-round is what you need. So if you have two a month at least – we understand that the purse might not be what it is in these big events – but it’s more just about being able to play, getting that game time.
“It doesn’t matter how much money you’re playing for, or how big or small the tournament is. When you’re in that moment, it doesn’t matter. It’s the same pressure of you trying to win a golf tournament.”
The groundwork for growth has been laid. The women played for R1.075-million 10 years ago, and for over R16-million this year on the Sunshine Ladies Tour. The six tournaments are all big in their own right, and the way forward is clear. Roll on 2024!
