Kathmandu, March 27
The Surya Nepal Challenge is beginning here at the Royal Nepal Golf Club on Tuesday.
A total of 37 golfers - 30 pros and seven amateurs - will take part in the sixth event under of the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2022-23, informed the organisers at a press meet today.
The 72-hole tournament carries a purse of Rs 545,000 and top three pros will receives Rs 100,000, Rs 65,000 and Rs 46,000 respectively, informed PGA Nepal General Secretary Deepak Acharya.
Cut will be applied after second round with top 21 pros and at least six amateurs making it to the final 36 holes. Other pros in top 21 will earn their share of cash prizes.
"The playing condition of the course has been tweaked up for the tournament," said Acharya. "Most participants played a practice round on the course to acclimatise with the conditions and we are hoping for a fierce competition over the next four days," he added.
Nepal No 1 pro Sukra Bahadur Rai - who won three out of the five previous events this season - will not be taking part in the tournament as he is playing in the Indian Tour. Rai finished joint 57th in the $300,000 Duncan Taylor Black Bull Challenge in Bengaluru on Sunday but he did not get entry to The Challenge, also co-sanctioned by ProfessionalGolf Tour of India and Challenge Tour, a second-tier tour of the European Tour, slated for March 28-31.
Rai set a new course record of 11-under 61 on his way to winning the Surya Nepal Central Open with record-equalling 23-under 265 at the Gokarna Golf Club earlier this month before leaving for India to continue the PGTI season.
Rai will not compete in the Delhi-NCR Open in Noida from April 4-7.
Former top pro Bhuvan Nagarkoti, Jayram Shrestha, Sanjay Lama, Rabi Khadka and Rame Magar are the main contenders among pros in the Surya Nepal Challenge. And they are expected to receive a tough competition from national team members Subash Tamang and Sadbhav Acharya.
The 16-year-old Acharya posted the winning total of 15-under 273 to edge past No 1 golfer Tamang and bag the amateur section title for his maiden trophy in the Tour.
PGA Nepal President Rabindra Man Shrestha said he was looking forward for a competitive tournament. "I am excited with the scores in recent tournaments and I am confident that both pros and amateurs will be coming up with low scores in this event as well," said Shrestha.
He also thanked the sponsor of the Tour, Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd for its relentless support for the overall development of the sport.
A version of this article appears in the print on March 28, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
