Rastriya Samachar Samiti

Kathmandu, March 12:

An open golf tournament is to be organised at Pokhara for the first time, with the objective of attracting people towards golf and also prolonging the duration of stay of foreign tourists in the area.

Altogether 70 professional and amateur golf players from Nepal and abroad are taking part in the tournament.

The tournament is to be held at the 11-hole golf course at Majeripatan in Pokhara and is expected to cost around Rs 350,000, said president of Pokhara Golf Society, at a press conference organised here on Wednesday.

The winner from the professional category will bag a cash prize of Rs 100,000 while the amateur winner will receive a trophy.

Though the attraction of golf has been on the rise in Nepal, there are only 19 professional golf players in the country and all of them are men, it is learnt.

The Yeti golf and Himalayan golf course in Pokhara are quite popular among tourists who like to play golf in majestic backdrop of Machapuchhre and Annapurna mountain ranges.