KATHMANDU, MAY 28

The ninth edition of the Nepal Amateur Open golf tournament is beginning here at the par-72 Gokarna Forest Resort from Monday.

A total of 52 players from five countries are taking part in the 54-hole tournament which features three categories - men's individual and team events and women's individual, informed the or-ganisers at a press meet today.

While 45 golfers from five nations - Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Pakistan - will compete in men's individual and team events, top seven players from Nepal will take part in the women's individual event, informed Gokarna Forest Resort Senior Golf Director Deepak Acharya, who is also the NGA Member.

The individual events will be played over 54 holes,while the team event winners will be decided after the second round.

Cut will be applied after the second round with top 30 golfers making it to the final round in men's individual section. In the team event, Subash Tamang and Sadbhav Acharya will put up Nepal's challenge against India's Suraj Joshi and Sumit Kotwal, Pakistan's Omar Izaz and Umair Saleem, Bangladesh's Shofiqul Islam and Md Sumon, and Bhutan's Ugen Dorji and Karma Dorji Khorko.

The event - sanctioned by the R&A - is supported by the National Sports Council, Bagmati Province Sports Development Board, Gokarna Forest Golf Resort and Hotel Royal Singi.

NGA President Tashi Ghale thanked the sponsors and supporters for their generous help in the tournament.

'We want to take this event outside Kathmandu and are planning to organise the tournament in Pokhara and Lomanthang,' Ghale said.

'We need support from all the stakeholders to make it a big event,' he added.

A version of this article appears in the print on May 29, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.