LOMANTHANG, AUGUST 26

The Top of the World Golf Classic is all set to tee off at the newly-built Mustang Golf Course in Lomanthang on Saturday.

The nine-hole facility, which covers the area of 3,155 yards, is located at 4,645 metres above sea level, making it the course at the world's highest altitude. According to Guinness Book of World Records, Yak Golf Course of Sikkim, India holds the record of the golf course at the highest altitude of 3,907 metres.

A total of 36 golfers including three women players will take part in the tournament organised by Lomanthang Rural Municipality under the sponsorship of Glen Livet.

All the golfers - 21 from Kathmandu, 11 from Pokhara and two each from Mustang and Butwal - have already arrived to Lomanthang and most of the players played a practice round today. Octogenarian golfer, Dr Rita Thapa is scheduled to hit the first shot to inaugurate the tournament and the course.

The 81-year-old Thapa is a regular player in Kathmandu.

Provincial Assembly Member of Gandaki Province Indra Dhara Bista initiated the golf course and he also used all the one million rupees from the Constituency Infrastructure Development Fund to develop a course in Lomanthang.

Professional golfer of Himalaya Golf Course, Bhuwan Gurung helped MP Bista and Lomanthang Rural Municipality in designing and managing the course, while Nepal PGA is supporting the organisers in conducting the tournament.

A version of this article appears in the print on August 27, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.