Kathmandu, January 3

Subash Tamang defended the title of the Faldo Series Nepal Championship here at the Gokarna Golf Club today.

The 13th South Asian Games double gold medal winner, 17-year-old Tamang carded two-under 70 in the third and final round to post the 54-hole total of 11-under 205 and win the overall title for the second straight year.

He also bagged the boys’ 17-21yrs category and earned berth in the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final along with boys’ 12-16yrs section winner Sadbhav Acharya and girls’ category champion Kashmira Shah. The trio will travel to Vietnam to participate in the Final to be held at the Laguna Lang Golf Club in Danang in March.

Tamang carded one-under 35 on either half in the final round. He earned a shot on the third hole before taking the turn, while he faced a bogey on the 14th against birdies on the 13th and 17th hole on the back nine. Tamang, who won the SA Games gold medal with the record score of 14-under at the same venue, registered a 25-stroke victory over Abhirajsinh S Chauhan. The Indian golfer shot six-over 78 to finish second with the total score of 14-over 230.

Acharya, who was five strokes behind overnight leader Ritesh Tamang in the boys’ 12-16yrs category, produced the best card of the day to register five-shot victory on a rainy day. The 13-year-old golfer took the turn at four-under 32 and played even-par 36 on the back nine. He carded birdies on the second, fifth, sixth and eighth holes on the front nine. Acharya was six-under after two consecutive birdies on the 13th and 14th but he suffered a double bogey on the 15th hole. Ritesh Tamang, 15, finished second after he played six-over 78 for the total score of 10-over 226.

Shah won the girls’ section trophy with the score of 32-over 248 after she shot 14-over 86 in the final round, while Prativa Rai (88) came second with 56-over 272. Shah shot five-over 41 on the front nine before playing nine-over 45 in the latter half.

A total of 16 golfers took part in the tournament organised by Nepal Golf Association under the aegis of Gokarna Forest Resort, R&A and National Sports Council. NGA President Tashi Ghale, General Secretary CB Bhandari, and Province 3 President Madan Rana gave away prizes to the winners of the event.