Young amateur Acharya cards eight-under 64 for the best card of the day, hitting four each birdies on two halves
KATHMANDU, MARCH 16
Top Pro Sukra Bahadur Rai carded three-under 69 to take six-stroke lead after the third round of the Surya Nepal Central Open at the Gokarna Golf Club today.
Defending champion Rai, who broke the course record with an 11-under 61 in the second round yesterday, posted the 54-hole total of 21-under 195.
Home club pro Bhuvan Nagarkoti carded even-par 72 to remain at the second position at 15-under 201 in the fifth event under the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2022-23.
Leader Rai carded two-under 34 on the front nine and played one-under 35 on the latter half. He carded birdies on the third and seventh holes before taking the turn. Rai began the back nine with the birdie-bogey-birdie run in the first three holes and saved pars on the remaining six holes to finish the day.
Nagarkoti carded even-par 36 on either half. He dropped a shot on the fourth against birdies on the third and seventh. On the back nine, he carded two birdies on the 11th and 17th and dropped shots on the 10th and 14th holes.
Young amateur golfer Sadbhav Acharya produced the best card of the day, carding a bogey-free eight-under 64 and he remained at the third place with the total score of nine-under 207.
Another amateur, Subash Tamang carded bogey-free six-under 66 for the total of seven-under 209 and he was two strokes behind Acharya in amateur section.
The 16-year-old Acharya carded four-under 32 on either half - hitting four each birdies on two halves. He carded birdies on the third, fourth, sixth and seventh holes on the front nine, before having four more on the 10th, 11th, 12th and 17th holes. Top amateur Tamang carded three-under 33 on both halves. He took the turn with birdies on the third, sixth and seventh holes, and carded three consecutive birdies from the 12th hole.
Jayram Shrestha was third among pros and fifth overall at four-under 212.
He carded three-under 69 in the third round. Shivaram Poudel (69) moved up to sixth at one-under 216, while Sanjay Lama (69) and Niraj Tamang (72) were tied for seventh at even-par 216.
Tanka Bahadur Karki (72) was ninth at two-over 218, while Dinesh Prajapati (72) was 10th with the score of fourover 220.
A total of 40 golfers - 31 pros and nine amateurs - are taking part in the tournament, organised by the Professional Golfers Association Nepal under the sponsorship of Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd.
Out of the total cash purse of Rs 800,000, top three pros will receive Rs 140000, Rs 90,000, and Rs 67000 respectively.
A version of this article appears in the print on March 17, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
