Kathmandu, April 16

The Surya Nepal NPGA Tour Championship is teeing off here at the Gokarna Golf Club on Monday.

A total of 39 golfers - 31 pros and eight amateurs - will take part in the seventh event under the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2022-23, informed the organisers PGA Nepal at a press meet. The 72-hole event carries a cash purse of Rs 800,000 and top three pros will receive Rs 140,000, Rs 90,000 and Rs 67,000 respectively.

Cut will be applied after 36 holes with top 21 pros and at least six amateurs making it to the last two rounds, informed NPGA General Secretary Deepak Acharya. The penultimate event of the season is expected be a competitive one with the presence of top amateur golfers Subash Tamang and Sadbhav Acharya, who have been consistently threatening the pros.

Winner of the three out of six events, Nepal No 1 pro Sukra Bahadur Rai will not be taking part in the event as he is playing in the Professional Golf Tour of India, while senior pro Toran Bikram Shahi - who lives and works in India as a teaching pro - has entered his name for the tournament.

Other top pros, Bhuwan Nagarkoti, Jayaram Shrestha, Dhana Thapa, Niraj Tamang, Rame Magar and Rabi Khadka are considered as title contenders.

Apart from the 13th South Asian Games double gold medal winner Tamang and fellow national team member Acharya, other amateurs who can challenge the field included Tashi Tshring, Wangchen Dhondup and Vijay Shrestha Einhaus.

Thanking the sponsors Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd for selfless support in the development of golf in Nepal, NPGA President Rabindra Man Shrestha said he was looking forward to a fierce competition.

'The professional golfers and amateurs have been putting up really good performances off late and I believe it's fantastic for the growth of the sport,' he said. 'I am really excited to witness yet another competitive tournament this week.'

A version of this article appears in the print on April 17, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.