KATHMANDU, AUGUST 17

Nepali professional golfer Sukra Bahadur Rai made a poor start in the Tata Steel PGTI Players Championship at the par-72 Coimbatore Golf Club in Tamil Nadu today.

The Nepal No 1 pro Rai played one-over 73 to share the 37th place with 17 golfers - 14 Indians and three Bangladeshis. In the INR five million event dominated by Indian pros, Harshjeet Singh Sethie carded six-under 66 to take one stroke lead over Shamim Khan, Arjun Sharma and Raunil Kukar, who all shot five-under 67. Three pros, Harendra Gupta, Syed Saqib and Ravi Kumar shared the fifth position at four-under 68.

Rai played two-over 38 on the front nine before carding one-under 35 on latter half. He began the round with a bogey and dropped a shot on the sixth hole before taking the turn. On the back nine, Rai carded birdies on 13th and 15th holes but went on to face a bogey on the final.

Rai said the overall performance was okay due to the difficult course condition. 'I struggled wi0th tee shots as the wind was strong in the afternoon,' said Rai. 'The fairway grass was also longer than expected which made it difficult to play approach shots. But I was able to save pars on couple of holes from difficult positions,' said the Dharan-based pro, who has joined Tarun Sardesai Golf Academy in Bangalore for a monthlong training.

'I struggled because of strong wind in the afternoon today. As I have morning tee off in the second round, I am hoping for a much better round tomorrow to improve the position and make the cut,' said Rai, who is playing the Indian Tour for the first time.

He earned full cards for the PGTI through Qualifying School and has already participated in six events making cuts in three events.

A version of this article appears in the print on August 18, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.