Kathmandu, March 15:

The CMS Cup Golf Championship tees off here at the Royal Nepal Golf Course (RNGC) from Monday.

The professional event will be held from March 16-19, while the amateur tournament is scheduled for March 20-21. A total of 25 pros and 22 amateur golfers (seven and below handicap) will take part in the main event and around 100 golfers will participate in the amateur tournament.

Out of the total cash prize of Rs 500,000, the winner will take home Rs 112,000. The first and second runners up will receive Rs 70,000 and Rs 55,000 respectively. The top 15 pros, who make cut after 36 holes, will also receive cash prizes. Other pros will be awarded with consolation prizes.

The total budget of the tournament — organised jointly by Nepal Professional Golfer’s Association and RNGC under the sponsorship of Nagender Pampati, CEO and Chairman of the International Society of Medical Education (ISME) Pvt Ltd and College of Medical Sciences (CMS) — is Rs 1.5 million. The CMS All Nepal Caddy Golf Championship — an annual event under the tournament — was held on March 9 at the RNGC.

The first season of the first professional golf tour of the country — that began with the Central

Open in May last year — will end with the Tour Championship slated for March 30 to April 2. Shiva Ram Shrestha leads the Tour with four wins while Mani Rai and Deepak Thapa Magar have bagged one title each. Indian pro Shamim Khan won the Surya Nepal Master in June, 2008.