Sunshine Tour Q-School: 1st Stage in Spain next December

Sunshine Tour announces Premier venue for its inaugural International Qualifying School in Europe

The Alps Tour is proud to organise this event on behalf of Sunshine Tour.

For the first time in Sunshine Tour history, there will be an International stage of its Qualifying School organised in Europe. The Lumine Golf & Beach Club and Bonmont Golf Club, located on Spain’s stunning Costa Dorada region, will host the four-day stroke play tournament from 3^rd to 6^th of December 2014.

The Alps Tour is delighted to have been chosen by Africa’s premier professional golf tour to organise the inaugural Sunshine Tour International Qualifying School in Europe. Over the past 13 years the Alps Tour has built a strong reputation for developing tomorrow’s champions. Widely respected, the Alps Tour has grown significantly since its launch in 2001, with players from 22 different nationalities competing in 19 tournaments across seven different countries. This partnership with the Sunshine Tour is the first of number of exciting new initiatives set to launch in 2015.

There will be between 10 and 15 spots available from the event at Lumine and Bonmont, depending on the size of the field. Another first stage will take place in South Africa early in 2015. The Sunshine Tour Qualifying School Final is scheduled in January 2015. Qualifiers from the International Qualifying School in Europe will receive entry and travel assistance to the final stage in South Africa.

Lumine Golf & Beach Club is one of Europe’s most popular golf resorts and home to 45 holes of award-winning golf managed by international experts, Troon Golf. The Greg Norman designed Lakes Course, located between beautiful wetlands and the Hills Course, set in the rolling hills overlooking the Mediterranean Sea will play host to two venues of the tournament.

Lumine Golf & Beach Club General Manager, Calle Carlsson welcomes the announcement with open arms, “I am confident that our championship courses will provide a stern, yet fair test and I can certainly promise everyone involved an enjoyable experience throughout.”

“We already host the European Tour’s Qualifying School Stage 2 as well as a number of high-profile international events including this year’s Challenge de Catalunya, so naturally I am confident our world-class facilities will live up to the expectations of The Alps and Sunshine Tours.”

Founded in 1990, the Bonmont course was designed by one of the world’s greatest experts, Robert Trent Jones Jr. andhas held two European Tour events. It is a true test of golf and a welcoming environment. The course has numerous natural and artificial hazards, stunning cliffs and six lakes carved into the rock and a large number of bunkers. Spectacular views can be enjoyed all here in Bonmont.

The Sunshine Tour is a men’s professional golf tour based in Southern Africa. The tour is one of the six leading men’s tours which make up the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the PGA Tour, The European PGA Tour, The Japan Golf Tour, the PGA Tour of Australasia, and the Asian Tour. In 2009 the International Federation of PGA undertook a major expansion in 2009 adding 11 more tours as members. The federation also founded the World Golf Championships in 1999 and sanction the Official World Golf Rankings.

The Sunshine Tour currently co-sanctions six tournaments with the European Tour, these being the Africa Open, The Alfred Dunhill Championship, the Joburg Open, the Nelson Mandela Championship, the Tshwane Open and the South African Open, the second oldest championship in golf. This serves as the launch of the European Tour each season.

Alps Tour is one of the four satellite tours in Europe. Former members such as France’s Julien Quesne and Grégory Bourdy or Italy’s Marco Crespi are now European Tour winners.