Nepali golfers miss cut

KATHMANDU: Both the Nepali golfers Rupak Acharya and Wangchen Dhondup missed cut after the second round of the inaugural Asian Amateur Championship at the Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzen, China today.

The Nepal No 1 amateur golfer Rupak carded four-over 66 to add to his first-round score of 67, while Wangchen, who had played a round of 82 on the first day, played even worse shooting 11-over 83. This is the first time Nepali players took part in such a high profile tournament where top amateur golfers from the region were present to prove their caliber. The winner will qualify for the Augusta Masters in April, 2010.

Rupak started the day with to consecutive bogeys and went on to hit three more on the backnine score of five-over 41. On the back nine, he did not drop a single shot and carded a lone birdie of his round on the par-4 12th for one-under 35. He had a chance to make the cut had he not dropped so many shots on the front nine as five-over score made it the final rounds. In all, Rupak had one birdie,five bogeys and 12 par-putts on the second day.

Another Nepali player, Wangchen played another forgettable round when he shot 11-over 83, one

shot worse than the first round. His front nine score of six-over 42 included four bogeys and a double bogey. On the back nine, Wnagchen carded two birdies but had four bogeys and a triple bogey on the par-4 17th hole for a five-over 41.

Despite missing the cut, Rupak will stay back in China and join Tashi Ghale to participate in the Hong Kong Amateur Open to be held at the Discovery Bay Golf Club from November 3-6.

The Nepal Golf Association (NGA) President Vonide SJB Rana and General Secretary Ghale are in China to attend the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) Development Committee meeting on the sidelines of the Asian Amateur Championship. The NGA selected Ghale for the Hong Kong event after Wangchen pulled out due to personal reasons.