Cards 11-under 61 to equal 36-hole total of 18-under 226
Kathmandu, March 15
Top pro Sukra Bahadur Rai shattered the Gokarna Golf Club course record on the second day of the Surya Nepal Central Open here today.
The Dharan-based golfer, who is also plying his trade in the Indian Tour, carded a flawless 11-under 61 in the second round for 18-under 226, which also tied the 36- hole record held by Indian pro Shamim Khan on his way to winning the Surya Nepal Master in 2008.
Khan set the course record of 10-under 62 in the 2008 Masters, while fellow Indian pros Abhijit Singh Chadha and S Chikkarangappa equalled the record in 2013 edition. Rai went one better to break the record after 10 years. Shivaram Shrestha's nine-under 63 was the best performance by a local golfer at Gokarna, which was matched by Bhuvan Nagarkoti today.
With the scintillating round, Rai opened up three-stroke lead over Nagarkoti, who posted 15-over 229 at the halfway stage of the fifth event under the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2022- 23. Amateur golfer Sadbhav Acharya moved up to third with the score of three-under 141 after he carded three-under 69.
Rai carded a total of seven birdies and sank two eagles in the bogey-free round. He took the turn at five-under 31 and carded six-under 30 on the latter half. He began the second day with two birdies and added another on the ninth, while he sank an eagle on the seventh hole. On the back nine, Rai carded a birdie on the 11th and had an eagle on the 12th hole. Rai then carded three consecutive birdies from the 13th and saved pars on the last three holes.
"Everything went well today, from the beginning till end. I am happy to get into the record books," said Rai. "I made a long putt for a birdie on the first hole and that gave me a confidence. I just kept going and the scores kept coming. After carding a birdie on the 15th for 11-under, the magical figures of 59 suddenly came into my mind. I did push for it but was unable to find birdies on the last three holes due to the pressure," he said.
Second-placed Nagarkoti carded a thunderous eight-under 28 on the front nine and he managed one-under 35 on the latter half. After a birdie on the first and an eagle on the third hole, Nagarkoti carded four straight birdies from the fourth and added another on the ninth. He failed to keep the momentum going on the back nine for the second straight day despite carding birdies on the 11th and 12th holes. A dropped shot on the 13th stopped him from equalling the 10-under 62 mark as he saved pars on the last six holes.
Amateur golfer Acharya took the turn at two-under 34 and carded one-under 35 on the back nine. He had a poor start after he faced a bogey on the first hole but he hit back with three birdies on the fourth, sixth and seventh. The 16-year-old golfer then dropped a shot on the 11th against birdies on the 12th and 18th holes.
Nepal No 1 amateur golfer Subash Tamang carded one-under 71 to earn a share of fourth place with pro Jayram Shrestha (75) at one-under 143. Niraj Tamang shot one-over 73 and he was sixth at even-par 144, while Bhuwan Kumar Rokka moved up to seventh at one-over 145 after he carded two-under 70. Tanka Bahadur Karki (71) and Shivaram Poudel (73) shared eighth spot at 146, while Sanjay Lama (75) and amateur Bhujel (73) were tied for 10th at three-over 147.
Cut was applied at 13- over 157 with 21 pros and seven amateurs making it to the final two rounds. 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 16, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
