Shrestha & Co claim Pro-Am title

Kathmandu, May 20

Professional golfer Shiva Ram Shrestha and amateurs Navaraj Thapa, Shreeyog Basnyat and Sam Doublard won the Pro-Am title of the Surya Nepal Premier Golf Championship here at the Gokarna Golf Club today.

The winning team accumulated 149 points to finish first. Pro Shrestha scored 40 points, while Thapa and Basnyat earned 37 each and Doublard got 35.

The team of pro Deepak Acharya (38) and amateurs Miae Lee (35), Pavitra Karki (34) and Mayank Dahal (34) finished second with 141 points. Likewise, the team of pro Sanjay Lama (38) and amateurs Sadbhav Acharya (34), Philip Hutchinson (33) and Gopal Chitrakar (31) came third with 137 points.

The best scoring pro was teamed up with top three amateurs to decide the winning team. Similarly fourth, fifth and sixth amateurs were teamed up with second best pro for runner-up team and the amateurs finishing seventh, eighth and ninth were teamed up with the third best professional golfer for the second runner-up team. Surendra Phuyal won the longest drive award and Brandon Lee claimed the closest-to-the-pin trophy. A total of 86 golfers including 23 pros took part in the Pro-Am event which was played under stableford 3/4 handicap format.

Managing Director of Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd Abhimanyu Poddar and Captain of Gokarna Golf Club Joseph Nathan handed over the prizes to the winners.

The main event, Surya Nepal Premier will tee off on Monday. A total of 41 pros and 14 amateur golfers will take part in the 72-hole competition, the 10th and final event under the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2017-18.

Defending champion Shiva Ram Shrestha will face stern challenge from local rivals Bhuwan Nagarkoti, Sanjay Lama, Dhana Thapa and Toran Shahi along with former Indian No 1 golfer Feroz Ali. The tournament carries a purse of Rs 1.26 million and top three pros will receive Rs 230,000, Rs 140,000 and Rs 95,000 respectively. Likewise, Tanka Bahadur Karki, Sukra Bahadur Rai, Ajit BK and Prithvi Malla will fight for amateur title.

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