Daniel van Tonder
South African professional golfer (born 1991)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Daniel van Tonder (born 12 March 1991) is a South African professional golfer who plays on the Challenge Tour and the Sunshine Tour.
South Africa| Daniel van Tonder | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||||
| Born | 12 March 1991 Soweto, South Africa | ||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||
| Sporting nationality | South Africa | ||||
| Spouse | Abigail van Tonder | ||||
| Career | |||||
| Turned professional | 2011 | ||||
| Current tours | Sunshine Tour European Tour | ||||
| Former tour | Challenge Tour | ||||
| Professional wins | 15 | ||||
| Highest ranking | 71 (16 January 2022)[1] (as of 2 August 2026) | ||||
| Number of wins by tour | |||||
| European Tour | 1 | ||||
| Sunshine Tour | 13 | ||||
| Challenge Tour | 2 | ||||
| Other | 1 | ||||
| Best results in major championships | |||||
| Masters Tournament | DNP | ||||
| PGA Championship | T44: 2021 | ||||
| U.S. Open | DNP | ||||
| The Open Championship | T40: 2021 | ||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||
| |||||
Professional career
Van Tonder turned professional in 2011 and played on the Sunshine Tour. He has won 12 times on the tour, with his first two coming in 2014; the Investec Royal Swazi Open[2] and the Vodacom Origins of Golf at Euphoria.[3] He also won the Mopani Redpath Greendoor Logistics Zambia Open in 2019.[4] In 2020, he won four tournaments on the Sunshine Tour in the space of three months.[5]
In March 2021, van Tonder claimed his first European Tour victory at the Kenya Savannah Classic. He defeated Jazz Janewattananond with a tap-in birdie on the third playoff hole.[6] The following month he lost in a four-man playoff for the Limpopo Championship.[7] In December 2021, van Tonder won the SA Open Championship; the Sunshine Tour's flagship event. He shot a final-round 65 to win by one shot ahead of Oliver Bekker.[8]
At the beginning of 2025, van Tonder won the opening two events on the Challenge Tour season, both being co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour.[9][10] Heading into the third tournament of the season; the Cell C Cape Town Open, van Tonder was aiming to become the first player in history to win three consecutive Challenge Tour events and earn automatic promotion to the European Tour.[11] He eventually finished tied-sixth.[12] In March, he secured the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit for the 2024–25 season.[13] Van Tonder finished the Challenge Tour season in ninth place on the rankings, gaining status to play on the 2026 European Tour.[14][15]
Personal life
Professional wins (15)
European Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 Mar 2021 | Kenya Savannah Classic | −21 (65-64-70-64=263) | Playoff |  Jazz Janewattananond |
European Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2021 | Kenya Savannah Classic | Jazz Janewattananond |
Won with birdie on third extra hole |
Sunshine Tour wins (13)
| Legend |
|---|
| Flagship events (1) |
| Playoff events (1) |
| Other Sunshine Tour (11) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 May 2014 | Investec Royal Swazi Open | 48 pts (4-12-14-18=48) | Playoff | Jacques Blaauw, Jared Harvey |
| 2 | 27 Jun 2014 | Vodacom Origins of Golf at Euphoria | −12 (67-67-70=204) | 1 stroke | Tyrone Ferreira |
| 3 | 31 Mar 2019 | Mopani Redpath Greendoor Logistics Zambia Open | −5 (72-73-68-70=283) | 1 stroke | Callum Mowat |
| 4 | 28 Aug 2020 | African Bank Sunshine Tour Championship | −11 (67-70-68=205) | 3 strokes | George Coetzee,  Adilson da Silva, Neil Schietekat |
| 5 | 25 Sep 2020 | Vodacom Championship Unlocked | −13 (66-70-67=203) | 1 stroke | M. J. Viljoen |
| 6 | 2 Oct 2020 | Vodacom Championship Reloaded | −21 (63-66-66=195) | 4 strokes | Jaco Ahlers, Adilson da Silva |
| 7 | 31 Oct 2020 | Investec Royal Swazi Open (2) | 48 pts (15-12-11-10=48) | 18 points | Neil Schietekat |
| 8 | 5 Dec 2021 | SA Open Championship | −16 (69-68-70-65=272) | 1 stroke | Oliver Bekker |
| 9 | 3 Aug 2024 | FNB Eswatini Challenge | −14 (68-66-68=202) | 2 strokes | Yurav Premlall |
| 10 | 30 Aug 2024 | Gary & Vivienne Player Challenge | −14 (70-66-66=202) | Playoff | Yurav Premlall, Martin Rohwer |
| 11 | 26 Jan 2025 | SDC Open1 | −16 (72-65-68-67=272) | Playoff | Altin van der Merwe |
| 12 | 2 Feb 2025 | MyGolfLife Open1 | −27 (62-66-66-67=261) | 2 strokes | Martin Vorster |
| 13 | 15 Mar 2026 | Serengeti Playoffs | −21 (70-63-71-63=267) | 2 strokes |  Allen John, Wilco Nienaber |
1Co-sanctioned by the Challenge Tour
Sunshine Tour playoff record (3–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2014 | Investec Royal Swazi Open | Jacques Blaauw, Jared Harvey |
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 2014 | Nedbank Affinity Cup | Louis de Jager, Vaughn Groenewald |
de Jager won with birdie on second extra hole van Tonder eliminated by birdie on first hole |
| 3 | 2021 | Players Championship | Jaco Prinsloo, Jake Roos |
Prinsloo won with birdie on third extra hole Roos eliminated by eagle on first hole |
| 4 | 2021 | Limpopo Championship | Oliver Bekker, Hennie du Plessis, Brandon Stone |
Stone won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 5 | 2024 | Gary & Vivienne Player Challenge | Yurav Premlall, Martin Rohwer |
Won with par on fourth extra hole Premlall eliminated by birdie on second hole |
| 6 | 2025 | SDC Open | Altin van der Merwe |
Won with par on first extra hole |
Challenge Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 Jan 2025 | SDC Open1 | −16 (72-65-68-67=272) | Playoff | Altin van der Merwe |
| 2 | 2 Feb 2025 | MyGolfLife Open1 | −27 (62-66-66-67=261) | 2 strokes | Martin Vorster |
1Co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour
Challenge Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2021 | Limpopo Championship | Oliver Bekker, Hennie du Plessis, Brandon Stone |
Stone won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 2025 | SDC Open | Altin van der Merwe |
Won with par on first extra hole |
IGT Pro Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 Mar 2016 | Houghton Open | −22 (65-64-65=194) | 9 strokes |  Zachary Portemont |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |||||
| PGA Championship | T44 | CUT | CUT | ||
| U.S. Open | |||||
| The Open Championship | T40 | CUT |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Results in World Golf Championships
| Tournament | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | T66 | 71 | |||||
| Match Play | NT1 | ||||||
| Invitational | |||||||
| Champions | T72 | NT1 | NT1 |
1Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
NT = No tournament
"T" = Tied