Pokhara, April 6:

Deepak Neupane survived some tense moments before his playing partner Ramesh Nagarkoti made triple-bogey in the par-5 12th to hand him the championship in the Surya Nepal Western Open golf tournament here at Himalayan Golf Club today.

Neupane finished the Rs 166,000 event with a card of seven-over 153. Ramesh Nagarkoti settled for the second spot with a total of 156 whereas winner of the recently concluded Surya Nepal Masters Deepak Thapa Magar was third at 160. Deepak Acharya was fourth with 161 while Radheshyam Thapa and Ram Thapa shared the fifth spot. Pashupati Sharma was seventh with a total of 164 followed by Sachin Bhattarai at 167.

The Pro-Am section of the Surya Nepal Western Open is scheduled for Saturday.

Overnight leader Neupane made a terrible start making a double bogey on the first hole followed by bogeys on the second and third. Neupane’s errors put Nagarkoti ahead by one stroke. Taking the turn at four-over, Neupane had bogeys on the 10th and 11th, allowing Nagarkoti to increase his lead to two strokes with a birdie on the 11th.

However, situation dramatically changed on the very next hole when Nagarkoti made triple-bogey while Neupane followed it up with a birdie. The 37-year-old professional from Phulwari Resort and Spa, Neupane then sank an eagle in the next hole. His rival once again faltered with a bogey on the same hole. Despite finishing with bogeys on the last four holes, Neupane went on to win the title.

Meanwhile, Ravi Khadka maintained his overnight lead and claimed a narrow victory over Hari Bahadur Rai in the amateur section, making it two-in-a-row after the Surya Nepal Masters victory. Khadka finished with a card of 168 and was tied for the ninth place overall while Rai was 11th overall with a total of 170.