Kathmandu, April 15

Purna Sharma took one-stroke lead over Rabi Khadka and Deepak Thapa Magar with a card of two-under 70 after the first round of the Golfer Pilots NPGA Classic here at the Gokarna Golf Club today.

Rabi Khadka and Deepak Thapa Magar are tied for the second with one-under 71 in the first event under the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2009-10.

Ramesh Nagarkoti and Mani Rai shot even-par 72 to share the fourth position. Rajan Thapa and CB Bhandari are joint sixth at 73, while Pashupati Sharma and Nepal’s No 1 Shiva Ram Shrestha are two strokes adrift at eighth position.

Purna, the younger brother of Gokarna teaching pro Pashupati Sharma, had a lone birdie against two bogeys on the front nine score of one-over 37.

He came back strongly on the back nine sinking an eagle and a birdie in his bogey-free round of three-under 33. Purna sank an eagle on the par-five 12th hole and a birdie on the next hole.

Rabi Khadka, Thapa Magar, Nagarkoti and Bhandari also sank eagle on the same hole. Rabi had three birdies and two bogeys on the front nine for the total of one-under 35. On his journey back, he had three bogeys against lone birdie to add to an eagle.

Thapa Magar, who carded a birdie and two bogeys in the front nine score of one-over 37, sank an eagle, carded a birdie and hit two bogeys to submit the under-par card.

Top pro Shiva Ram had a disastrous round of four-over 40 on the front nine that included two bogeys and a double bogey in the round where he failed to sink a lone birdie. On the turn, the top pro carded four birdies against a lone bogey.

In Amateur section, Puskar Rajbahak carded five-over 77 to take one-stroke lead over Prasanna Upreti. The fifth National Games double gold medallist Rupak Acharya shot 11-over 83 to remain in third position.

A total of 21 pros and six amateurs are taking part in the three-day event. The second round play will be held at the Tribhuvan Army Officers’ Golf Club on Thursday and the final round will be played at the Royal Nepal Golf Club the following day.

Of the total cash prizes of Rs 200,000, the top three golfers will receive Rs 64,000, Rs 31,000 and Rs 23,000 respectively. Others in the top 15 will also get their share of money.