Apr 14, 2018: The Panasonic Swing on the Asian Tour is set for a thrilling conclusion when the Panasonic Open Championship gets underway next week.
The Panasonic Swing is based on an aggregate points ranking earned by players at the following five tournaments- 2017 Thailand Open, 2017 Panasonic Open India, 2017 Indonesian Masters, 2018 Maybank Championship (Malaysia), and 2018 Panasonic Open Championship.
India’s Shiv Kapur, who has 2870.40 points, remains in pole position heading into the final leg at the Ibaraki Country Club after a glorious 2017 season which saw him become the only golfer to win multiple titles including the 2017 Panasonic Open India on the Asian Tour.
“Being the inaugural year-long Panasonic Swing spread over five countries, it would be amazing to win the Panasonic Swing.
“There are so many good players in contention and you have to maintain your form and consistency over a long period unlike any other swing series on any of the other Tours worldwide,” said Kapur.
With second-placed Shubhankar Sharma of India opting to give the Panasonic Open Championship a miss next week, Thailand’s Rattanon Wannasrichan will have the opportunity to pip Kapur to the top prize if he can reproduce his winning form that saw him lift his National Open last year.
“I’ll always remember my wire-to-wire win at the Thailand Open last year. That was very special as it showed I have the game to compete at the highest level. I’m looking forward to winning again,” said Rattanon.
India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar, Ajeetesh Sandhu and Zimbabwean Scott Vincent also have mathematical chances of winning the Panasonic Swing should Kapur fail to make the weekend cut at the Panasonic Open Championship.
No less than 30 Asian Tour winners are expected to feature at the Panasonic Open Championship which is the third event to be sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO) this year.
A minimum of two events are required to be played inclusive of the Panasonic Open Championship in order to qualify for the Panasonic Swing bonus pool. There will be a x1.5 multiplier for points earned at the Panasonic Open Championship.
The top-three finishers upon the conclusion of the Panasonic Open Japan 2018 will share a bonus pool of US$150,000 where they will earn US$70,000, US$50,000 and US$30,000 respectively via the reward scheme.
The winner of the Panasonic Swing will also receive an exemption into an European Tour event in 2018.
Panasonic Corporation which has supported the Olympic Games as an official worldwide partner for over 25 years, has also backed professional golf at the highest level in Asia through its title sponsorship of the Panasonic OPEN India since 2011 and the Panasonic Open Championship.
Asian Tour Release
