• The Sunshine Tour has announced its 2020 schedule, which will resume with a 'Gauteng swing' from 19 August.
• The Tour has been suspended since 16 March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• The Rise-Up Series begins at the Killarney Country Club and ends in October at the Huddle Park Golf Club.

Professional golf is back in South Africa is set for resumption this month as the Sunshine Tour resumes its 2020 schedule.

It will be in the form of a new Gauteng swing of five tournaments called the Rise-Up Series.

The Rise-Up Series will feature five 54-hole tournaments each with a purse of R600 000. Golfers will play according to the Covid-19 Risk Mitigation Strategy submitted by GolfRSA and approved by the Department of Sport and Recreation.

The series will tee off at Killarney Country Club on 19-21 August. It will then travel to Glendower Golf Club (26-28 August), followed by Pretoria Country Club (2-4 September), ERPM Golf Club (23-25 September) and Huddle Park Golf Club (30 September to 2 October).

"It has been a long wait for our member professionals and our sponsors, and we thank them for their patience and understanding," Sunshine Tour Commissioner Selwyn Nathan said in a press statement.

"Ever since we suspended our activities in March this year, we remained resolute that we would not resume playing until we had the necessary confirmation from government and had consulted thoroughly with our sponsors. That is why we are only now announcing this resumption of our schedule as we are confident that under the current government lockdown Alert Level 3 and with our planning in place, we can resume tournament activity in a safe, responsible and controllable manner."

The Sunshine Tour revealed that it has worked closely with GolfRSA in order to "meet the full compliance necessary for the resumption of its tournaments".

Only Sunshine Tour staff and officials, professional golfers and their registered caddies, as well as limited media and TV crew will be allowed on-site at each tournament.

All professional golfers, caddies and tournament staff will go through daily screening before entering tournament venues.

There will be no spectators or player support staff allowed at these tournaments and no hospitality facilities for the professional golfers and their caddies.

"Our main focus is to ensure that none of our member professionals or staff is in any way compromised from a health standpoint. We are confident we have taken every possible step to make this not only a safe return to professional golf, but also a welcome one with a Rise-Up Series that will reflect the role our game plays in representing the spirit of sport and its ability to help uplift society in challenging times," Nathan added.

Rise-Up Series tournament schedule:

19-21 August: Rise-Up Series Event 1 Betway Championship at Killarney Country Club

26-28 August: Rise-Up Series Event 2 sponsored by African Bank at Glendower Golf Club

2-4 September: Rise-Up Series Event 3 at Pretoria Country Club

23-25 September: Rise-Up Series Event 4 at ERPM Golf Club

30 September - 2 October: Rise-Up Series Event 5 at Huddle Park Golf Club

- Compiled by Sport24 staff