Kathmandu, January 7:

Kailash Tea in association with Nepal Professional Golfers Association (NPGA) is organising the Kailash Tea Open Golf Tournament from January 9-12 here at the Le Meridien Gokarna Forest Golf Resort and Spa.

In all, 35 golfers — 20 professionals and 15 top amateurs with below nine handicap — are taking part in the 72-hole event, said Deepak Acharya, golf director at the Le Meridien Gokarna Forest Golf Resort and Spa and secretary of the NPGA, at a press meet today.

Out of the total prize money of Rs 150,000, the winner will get Rs 50,000, while other 12 professional golfers, who will make the cut after the second round, will also receive cash prizes.

For amateurs, the event will be an opportunity to prove themselves and qualify for the Bangladesh Amateur Open Golf Tournament. The top two amateurs, who have below five handicap, will represent Nepal in the January 23-27 event in Bangladesh, Acharya informed.

Ghana Shyam Thapa, president of NPGA, said that such sponsorships would be helpful in the developement of Nepali golf. “If we can bring in such sponsors into the sport, our players will one day get an opportunity to play in international events,” he said.

Atma Ram Pokhrel, Marketing Manager of Tripura Industries Nepal Pvt Ltd, said he was happy to continue the event after two years. “We started the tournament with an objective to do something for golf in Nepal, but could not continue last year due to adverse situation of the country,” said Pokhrel. The total budget of the tournament is Rs 500,000, he informed.