Kathmandu, January 31

Nepal No 1 pro Sukra Bahadur Rai made an impressive start, while Niraj Tamang faltered in the first round of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) Qualifying School at the par-70 Tollygunge Golf Club in Kolkata today.

Rai carded a bogey-free three-under 67 to share the sixth position, while fellow Dharan-based pro played six-over 76. While Rai - who finished at the 67th position in the PGTI Order of Merit last season - got direct entry in the final stage, Tamang earned berth after he finished 11th in the Pre Qualifying-III.

Top Nepali pro Rai shared the sixth position with six Indian golfers after the first round. He carded two-under 32 on the front nine before playing one-under 35 on the latter half.

Rai carded birdies on the fourth and seventh holes before taking the turn and added one more on the 10th hole.

Another Nepali pro, Tamang suffered three double bogeys on his way to sharing the 113th position.

Starting the day from the 10th tee, Tamang shot six-over 42 on his front nine before bouncing back to card an evenpar 34 on the latter half. Tamang faced three straight double bogeys from the 11th hole but he bounced back to save pars on the next five holes. After taking the turn, Tamang carded a birdie on the second and dropped a shot on the ninth hole.

Indian amateur golfer Aryan Roopa Anand opened the campaign with a six-under 64 and he was one stroke ahead of pros Sudhir Sharma of India and K Prabagaran of Sri Lanka. Another amateur Karan Verma shared the fourth position with fellow Indian golfer Victor Hans at four-under 66, one shot ahead of a pack of seven players including Nepal's Rai.

Out of the 127 golfers, top 80 after the second day will make cut for the final two rounds. Top 34 players after the completion of 72 holes will earn full cards for the 2023 season of the Indian Tour. Rai won full cards for the previous season of the Indian Tour but failed to protect the card after he could not finish in top 60 in the Order of Merit.

A version of this article appears in the print on February 1, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.