Akutsu, Kawashiri claim titles at 57th Shields Open in Gunma
Rento Kawajiri shot 64, eight under par, to win the men’s division, while Rina Akutsu took the women’s title at even par and Gaku Shirakawa won the senior competition at two under at the 57th SHIELDS OPEN in Gunma. The June 20 stop at Itakura Golf Course gave the FootGolf Japan Tour 2026 another clear form check, with the day’s results separating players who have been building momentum from those still searching for it.
The Japan FootGolf Association ran the event as an 18-hole stroke-play tournament under FIFG rules, with men using men’s tees, seniors and senior+ on senior tees and women on ladies’ tees. The field was capped at 100 players across all divisions, and the published schedule stretched from 11:15 a.m. registration to a 6:15 p.m. final-group finish. Prize money was set at ¥30,000 plus a case of Sapporo Black Label for the men’s winner and ¥20,000 plus a case of Sapporo Black Label for the senior, senior+ and women’s winners.
Shilds Japan Limited and Sapporo Beer backed the event, continuing the same sponsorship profile that supported the 56th Shields Open in March at Shizuoka Country Hamaoka & Hotel. That continuity matters in a tour built on a steady run of stops: the Shields Open name now carries real weight as a checkpoint for players trying to hold position through the season.
Akutsu’s victory reinforced the standing she brought into Gunma. She arrived as No. 1 in the women’s JFGA tour standings and had already collected multiple women’s wins in 2026, so the result did more than add another trophy. It confirmed her as the player others are still chasing in the women’s race.
Kawajiri’s win carried a different kind of force. He had already been sitting inside the men’s top 10 in the tour standings, and his eight-under round gave him the kind of result that can change the tone of a title chase. With Shirakawa also converting his senior opportunity and Akutsu keeping control of the women’s leaderboard, the 57th Shields Open sharpened the season picture rather than merely adding another result to it.