Kathmandu, June 2

Nepal No 1 pro Shivaram Shrestha will be eyeing to end the his sixth title of the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2016-17 when the season-ending Surya Nepal Premier Golf Championship tees off next week at the Gokarna Golf Club.

The most successful golfer of the country, Shrestha has already bagged five titles under the current season on his way to claiming 35 major trophies of his career. He has underlined his supremacy in domestic circuit by winning 33 out of 75 events played since the Surya Nepal Golf Tour began in 2008.

Shrestha began the season with a bang by winning the first four events. Shrestha opened the campaign with a victory in the Surya Nepal Eastern Open and went on to add Surya Nepal Western Open, Surya Nepal Challenge and Surya Nepal Central Open. After missing the fifth and six events, Shrestha returned to winning ways by claiming the Surya Nepal Tour Championship.

The Royal Nepal Golf Club pro also has a rich history. He won the Surya Nepal Eastern Open as an amateur golfer and never looked back since turning pro in 2007. He also got opportunities to participate in many international tournaments and took part in the Professional Golf Tour of India from 2008 to 2015. He won the Surya Nepal Masters — co-sanctioned by NPGA and PGTI — in 2013, Shrestha has never won a trophy on foreign soil.

The Surya Nepal Premier Golf Championship is the biggest tournament of the season in terms of cash purse as it offers a total amount of Rs 1.2 million with the winner receiving Rs 230,000 along with the trophy. And Shrestha is a heavy favourite for the eighth and final tournament slated for June 5-8 at Gokarna Golf Club.

With a target of ending the season on a high, Shrestha has already started his preparation for the event. He does not have problems in driving or hitting the distance and he has been focusing on putting to excel. He is confident of doing well that the previous events and wants to end the season on winning note and retain the Nepal No 1 position he has been holding since 2010.