MBABANE – Eswatini is preparing to welcome a highly-competitive international field next month.
Golfers from across the globe will descend on the Kingdom for the 2026 FNB Eswatini Challenge. On Thursday, July 9, tournament sponsors FNB Eswatini and the Sunshine Tour officially raised the stakes, unveiling a record-breaking E2.5 million prize pool. The prize purse receives a significant boost this year following a E500 000 cash injection from the Sunshine Tour, solidifying the tournament’s status on the regional circuit.
The main leg of the prestigious tournament will run in the period August 13-15 at the scenic Ezulwini Golf and Country Club. Ahead of the professional tee-off, a two-day client Pro-Am will see the bank’s key stakeholders and clients pair up with selected professionals.
Official entry data sourced from the Sunshine Tour confirms a heavily cosmopolitan field, with competitors travelling from as far as Europe, South America and Asia in pursuit of the title.
Among the international contenders are Chile’s Martin Leon and Indonesia’s Eric Wowor, both of whom will join the heavy hitters for the main tournament. Germany’s Allen John is another high-profile addition. John, who represented the German national amateur team from 2003, is a former Georgia State University standout where he earned Freshman of the Year honours. A remarkable competitor, John won the individual gold medal at the 2017 Summer Deaflympics in Samsun, Turkey.
Having first turned professional in 2011 and competed on the Challenge Tour in 2012, John’s career was temporarily halted by a serious injury in 2013. He spent several years away from the professional ranks, regaining his amateur status in 2016, before successfully returning to the professional circuit in 2018. Since then, he has built a strong presence across both the Sunshine and Challenge Tours, alongside multiple professional victories on the Pro Golf Tour.
A strong contingent of 15 local emaSwati golfers will tee it up in the 2026 edition. To further incentivise local talent, FNB Eswatini has put forward a separate E60 000 prize pot to reward the three best-performing local players in the field.
The path to the main draw for local hopefuls will be determined shortly. The Eswatini Professional Golfers Association (EPGA) is set to host intensive pre-qualifying rounds in the period July 16-18. From these qualifiers, 12 emaSwati players,including two amateurs, will punch their ticket to Ezulwini, joining three local professionals who already hold fully exempt Sunshine Tour memberships.
This year’s champion is set to walk away with a handsome first-prize cheque of E396 250. Standing in their way is a field of elite challengers, including South Africa’s Jaco Prinsloo. The inaugural 2022 champion has officially registered his entry, looking to become the first repeat winner in the tournament’s history and reclaim the title he won four years ago.
The international and local field will have to break a historic South African stranglehold on the trophy. Since its inception, the tournament has only ever crowned South African champions.
PREVIOUS WINNERS:
- 2024: Daniel van Tonder
- 2023: Peter Karmis
- 2022: Jaco Prinsloo (Entered)
SELECTED CONFIRMED INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES:
- Martin Leon (Chile)
- Liam Grehan (Ireland)
- Eric Wowor (Indonesia)
- Austin Bautista (Australia)
- Allen John (Germany)
- Pierre Viallaneix (France)
- Jack Davidson (Wales)
- Doug McGuigan (Scotland)
- Thomas Spreadborough (England)
