KATHMANDU, JUNE 26

Nepal Golf Association today appointed former Indian pro Tarun Sardesai as head coach of the national team for the upcoming Asian Games.

Head of Instruction at the Tarun Sardesai Golf Academy, Sardesai will be looking after the Nepali team for the 19th Asiad slated for September 23 to October 6 in Hangzhou, China, said the NGA in a release. NGA Youth Development Director Deepak Acharya is the assistant coach of the national team.

The NGA has already sent the Nepali teams to the Tarun Sardesai Golf Academy for the three-month training. Professional golfer Sukra Bahadur Rai and amateurs Subash Tamang, Sadbhav Acharya and Yubraj Bhujel are in the men's team, while Kashmira Shah and Sushma Sigdel are the women golfers in the team. Unlike previous Asia Games, the organisers have allowed professional golfers in the Asian Games from this edition.

Nepal No 1 pro Rai is currently undergoing training in Dresden, Germany and he is scheduled to join the squad next month. The team will train in Bengalore until September 20 before taking part in the Asian Games.

Top two amateurs Subash Tamang and Sadbhav Acharya will take a break from the training to participate in the Singapore Amateur Open to be held at the Orchid Country Club from June 18-20. They will return to Bangalore from Singapore and join the squad for training.

Sardesai had come to Kathmandu during the Nepal Amateur Open earlier this month on a special invitation from the NGA and he had expressed his willingness to work with the Nepali golf.

Two Nepali amateurs, Tamang and Acharya have been training under Sardesai at the Academy for more than year. Acharya joined the Academy on personal expenses, while Tamang is training under scholarship.

A version of this article appears in the print on June 27, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.