Selwyn Nathan has officially announced his retirement as executive director of the Sunshine Tour, prompting an outpouring of tributes throughout the world of golf for the Tour’s longest serving executive member and a passionate and devoted servant of South African golf.
Nathan will officially retire from his executive position in June this year, with Thomas Abt, the Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour, assuming all executive responsibilities. However, Nathan will remain on the Sunshine Tour Board as a non-executive member.
“I would like to thank Johann Rupert for the faith he has shown in me and for entrusting me with a leadership role on the Sunshine Tour. He has been an immense guiding force for me and it has been an honour to work with him on the growth of our Tour.
"I would also like to thank all the players, the directors, the sponsors and the staff I’ve had the privilege of working with. I have been blessed to have had the most fantastic career with the most incredible people, starting in a small office as part of a team including Helen Bland and Brian Henning.
"It’s given me a beautiful life. In Thomas Abt, the Sunshine Tour has a true leader capable of taking our Tour to even greater heights,” Nathan said at the Sunshine Tour AGM in January.
Johann Rupert, Chairman of the Sunshine Tour, paid special tribute to a man who had a humble start in the game as an assistant professional and who rose to become one of the most influential figures in world golf and a cornerstone of the professional growth of the South African game.
“Selwyn is surely one of South Africa’s longest-serving sports administrators, having started with the Sunshine Tour as far back as 1969 when he was just a young assistant professional. He has helped guide this Tour through many challenges and transitions, and has been a constant source of wisdom, courage and continuity as the Sunshine Tour has grown into what it is today.
"The end of his executive tenure brings to a close one of the most remarkable and colourful careers in our game. I would like to wish him well, and thank him sincerely for his unwavering service to the Sunshine Tour,” Rupert said.
Gary Player also paid a special tribute to Nathan. “I’d like to personally thank Selwyn for the commitment he has shown towards the Sunshine Tour and for the selfless work he has done in growing our Tour. I would also like to wish Thomas Abt all the best as he continues to build on the work of Selwyn and so many others that has made the Sunshine Tour what it is today.
"Our Tour is in a very healthy place as it provides vital opportunities for our professionals to graduate onto the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR for them to keep flying the South African flag on global fairways.”
Nathan’s formal departure from the executive of the Sunshine Tour brings to a close the career of a man who has been involved in every single facet of the professional game in South Africa and abroad since the 1960s.
During his tenure he has worked closely with three PGA TOUR Commissioners including Deane Beaman, Tim Finchem and Jay Monahan, and four DP World Tour Chief Executives in Ken Schofield, George O’Grady, Keith Pelley and Guy Kinnings.
He represented the Sunshine Tour at the founding meeting of the International Federation of PGA Tours in 1996, which was launched as the formal body of the global professional tours in golf.
Nathan has been instrumental in the growth of the Sunshine Tour, having served as Commissioner on several occasions and guiding the Tour through its most challenging periods such as the Covid-19 pandemic, and also representing the Tour’s interests globally as a member of the International Federation of PGA Tours.
He was part of the Sunshine Tour leadership team that also spearheaded the establishment of the Strategic Alliance with the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR and the global pathway this has created for South African golfers. He was also part of the core team, together with Gary Player, Sol Kerzner and Sam Feldman that launched the Nedbank Golf Challenge in honour of Gary Player.
He personally took it upon himself to revive Soweto Country Club as a beacon of hope for young golfers in Soweto, and which today hosts professional tournaments in the heart of this iconic township.
And he had the vision to create a viable programme of opportunity – the Papwa Sewgolum Class – within the Tour for historically disadvantaged professionals and help them to compete on an equal footing on Tour.
Nathan also helped launch the Sunshine Ladies Tour, which now boasts a schedule of eight tournaments, two of which are co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour (LET), and which provides valuable playing opportunities for South Africa’s leading women amateurs and professionals.
“What makes Selwyn’s contribution so enduring is that it has never been limited to administration alone. He has consistently used the Sunshine Tour as a platform for opportunity – building initiatives that keep creating access for our members, our development players, and women’s professional golf,” said Rupert.
Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour who was mentored for the role by Nathan, said: “I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Selwyn for his extraordinary commitment to the Sunshine Tour over more than 50 years.
"Very few individuals can claim such a legacy of sustained service, leadership, and belief in an institution. Selwyn’s contribution has not simply been measured in years, but in the stability, credibility, and growth he has helped foster.
"His presence on the Board has consistently brought wisdom, perspective, and an unwavering focus on what is best for the Tour and the people it serves.”
“Beyond his formal role as executive director, Selwyn has been a mentor to me personally, and to many others. He has always led with generosity – of time, knowledge, and encouragement – quietly shaping leaders rather than seeking recognition.
"His guidance has been grounded in experience, and a deep understanding of the game and its broader impact. I am profoundly grateful for the trust he has shown and the lessons he has shared, many of which will continue to guide me long after this chapter.”