The Thailand OPEN, which holds the same status as the country’s national golf championship, was held earlier this year as the first point-earning event of the five tournaments that make up the Panasonic SWING.
Thailand’s own Rattanon Wannasrichan, 21, took the lead on the first day and continued to protect it through day three, where he finished in first place at 21-under with 5 birdies and 1 bogey for a score of 67. Holding on to his lead and claiming the first victory of the Asian Tour, Wannasrichan was awarded 1800 points towards his Panasonic SWING score as well as the right to compete in the 2018 Panasonic OPEN in Japan, a privilege awarded as the highest placing Thai golfer.
Dates: May 18 to 21, 2017
Location: Thai Country Club
Winner: Rattanon Wannasrichan
2017 Thailand Open
Rd 4 highlights
Rattanon Wannasrichan
interview
* Provided by the Asian Tour
India is the stage for the second competition in the Panasonic SWING tournament series. With this year’s competition held at the Delhi Golf Club, Panasonic OPEN INDIA celebrated its 7th anniversary since first being held in 2011. Shiv Kapur, 35, who found himself tied for first at the end of the third day in his homeland of India, dominated the final day with five birdies and one bogey for a score of 68, taking him to a tournament win at 17-under-par. Kapur has also come out on top in the current Panasonic SWING rankings, adding 1800 points from his victory in India to the 865 (2nd place tie) he gained at May’s Thailand OPEN for a 1st place total of 2,665.
Of the 10 golfers making up the rankings down to the tie in 9th place, 9 hailed from India, making this year’s tournament especially exciting for the home crowd. Having emerged victorious as the highest ranking Indian player, Kapur has secured his right to compete in the 2018 Panasonic OPEN Japan.
Dates: November 2 to 5, 2017
Location: Delhi Golf Club
Winner: Shiv Kapur
2017 Panasonic OPEN INDIA
Rd 3 highlights
2017 Panasonic OPEN INDIA
Rd 4 highlights
* Provided by the Asian Tour
The third competition in the Panasonic SWING Series is the final match of this season’s Asian Tour, Indonesian Masters.
Justin Rose, ranked 6th in the Official World Golf Ranking, showed his true prowess as a major golf championship winner with scores of 62, 69, 66 and 62 for a 29-under-par cumulative total of 259—a stunning victory that put him 8 strokes ahead of 2nd place. 2017 Japanese golf tours leading money winner, Yusaku Miyazato, ended in 4th with 18-under-par.
In the SWING rankings, this tournament’s winner, Justin Rose, collected 1,800 points to put him in 3rd place. Shiv Kapur, who was at the top of the rankings after the first two competitions, finished in a 20th place tie this time, extending his score to 2,771.4 points. Miyazato, with 500 points, has become the first Japanese player to break into the SWING rankings. George Gandranata, the top-placing Indonesian golfer in this competition, has secured a spot at the 2018 Panasonic OPEN Japan in April.
Dates: December 14 to 17, 2017
Location: Royale Jakarta Golf Club
Winner: Justin Rose
2017 Indonesian Masters
Rd 4 highlights
Justin Rose
interview
* Provided by the Asian Tour
The Maybank Championship in Malaysia is the stage of the fourth event in the Panasonic SWING Series. This massive tournament sanctioned by both the European Tour and the Asian Tour attracted Japan’s top pro golfers as well as powerhouse players from across the globe.
With 10 birdies and no bogies for a final day score of 62, 21-year-old up-and-comer Shubhankar Sharma from India moved up from a 19th place tie at the end of day three to seize the win and take home his second European Tour victory.
In the SWING rankings, Sharma added 1,800 points to his score of 300.67 from 3 competitions so far, rising to 2nd place with a total of 2,100.67 points. Shiv Kapur held on to his position at the top with a total score of 2,870.4 points, despite a 23rd place tie at the Maybank Championship. Rattanon Wannasrichan, the victor at the Thailand OPEN, is currently in 3rd place with 1,884 points.
The points awarded will be 1.5 times higher than the four previous tournaments at the final SWING match, the 2018 Panasonic OPEN Golf Championship in Japan. This means that the victor will earn 2,700 points, making an overall victory possible for any of the 47 golfers who currently hold at least 170.4 points in the SWING rankings.
One of these golfers is Malaysia’s Gavin Green, who finished the Maybank Championship in 39th place. This made him the top player from the region, which secured him the chance to compete at the 2018 Panasonic OPEN Japan in April of this year.
Dates: February 1 to 4, 2018
Location: Saujana Golf and Country Club
Winner: Shubhankar Sharma
2018 Maybank Championship
Rd 3 Highlights
2018 Maybank Championship
Rd 4 Highlights
* Provided by the Asian Tour
The final competition of the Panasonic SWING series, the Panasonic OPEN Golf Championship, was held from April 19 to 22 at the Ibaraki Country Club in Osaka, Japan. Players from 22 countries and regions from around the world were in attendance, including players from Korea, Thailand, India, the United States and Zimbabwe. On the final day, Korea’s Junggon Hwang and Hyungsung Kim along with Rahil Gangjee from India were all at 12-under-par upon completion of the 13th hole. At the 14th hole both Gangjee and Kim delivered birdies, climbing to 13-under. The pair maintained their scores until the final hole, where Gangjee ultimately took the crown with another birdie to win the day.
In the overall SWING rankings, Gangjee’s strong performance earned him second place, and adding the ¥30,000,000 for his Japan victory, he brought home Panasonic SWING winnings totaling $50,000 USD.
Dates: April 19 to 22, 2018
Location: Ibaraki Country Club
Winner: Rahil Gangjee
Panasonic Open
Golf Championship
Rd 3 highlights
Panasonic Open
Golf Championship
Rd 4 highlights
* Provided by the Asian Tour
The final event of the series, which first visited India, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, came to its exciting conclusion in Japan. Shiv Kapur, who emerged victorious in his home country of India and maintained a place in the top 20 through 4 competitions, took home the overall rankings win. Making it through the Panasonic OPEN Japan preliminaries with a score of -1 which put him in a tie for 48th place, he was unable to better his score in the final round, finishing with +4 in a tie for 53rd, for a 1st place point total of 2,922.90. Having earned the title of Panasonic SWINGS’ very first champion, Kapur has also won a US $70,000 prize and an invitation to a competition in the European Tour.
Competition Chairman, Kazuhiro Tsuga (Representative Director, President, Panasonic Corporation) (left) and Shiv Kapur (right)
Panasonic SWING, Season 1: Final Rankings
Winner
Shiv Kapur
Points:2922.90
Born on Feb. 12, 1982, Kapur began his pro golf career in 2004. He studied golf at the Delhi Golf Club, the location of the 2017 Panasonic OPEN INDIA.
Shiv Kapur
Points:2922.90
Born on Feb. 12, 1982, Kapur began his pro golf career in 2004. He studied golf at the Delhi Golf Club, the location of the 2017 Panasonic OPEN INDIA.
2nd
Rahil Gangjee
Points:2805.00
Gangjee was born in Calcutta, India on Oct. 2, 1978, and turned pro in 2001. He secured his first Japan Golf Tour victory by winning the 2018 Panasonic OPEN Japan.
Rahil Gangjee
Points:2805.00
Gangjee was born in Calcutta, India on Oct. 2, 1978, and turned pro in 2001. He secured his first Japan Golf Tour victory by winning the 2018 Panasonic OPEN Japan.
3rd
Rattanon Wannasrichan
Points:2380.50
Pro since 2012 and born on July 11, 1995, Wannasrichan took his first pro victory at the history-making Panasonic SWING Thailand OPEN in 2017.
Rattanon Wannasrichan
Points:2380.50
Pro since 2012 and born on July 11, 1995, Wannasrichan took his first pro victory at the history-making Panasonic SWING Thailand OPEN in 2017.
* Only the players who fulfilled the conditions of the Panasonic SWING rules (participation in the Panasonic Open Golf Championship in Japan and a competition in at least one other country) are included in the final rankings above.
