The Sunshine Tour has announced that the Alfred Dunhill Championship will not be played in 2017 due to the planned renovations of Leopard Creek Golf Club.

The local tour confirmed the news on Tuesday that the course will  ‘not be ready to host a championship event’.

‘Leopard Creek is synonymous with the Alfred Dunhill Championship and although we are disappointed, we fully understand that the improvements scheduled for this magnificent facility will re-enforce Leopard Creek as the number one course in the country,’ said Selwyn Nathan, the Tour’s executive director.

Last year, Brandon Stone fired a final round 67 to win the event by a massive seven shots and take home a cheque for €190,200, which has a purse of €1 200 000 and is one of the growing number of co-sanctioned Sunshine Tour events which form part of the European Tour’s Race to Dubai.