Top Nepali amateur golfer Subash Tamang created history in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at the Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi, Thailand today.
The 13th South Asian Games double gold medallist, Tamang became the first Nepali golfer to achieve the feat. He posted a 36-hole total of even-par 144 to share the 47th position and earn a berth in the final two rounds. Tamang became the first Nepali golfer to make the cut in the championship. Nepal has been participating in the event since 2009.
Tamang made a strong comeback carding a two-under 70 in the second round. Tamang, who had finished ninth in the 88th Singha Thailand Amateur Open at the Panya Indra Golf Club in Bangkok last week, made a poor start at the Amata Club with below-par two-over 74 on the first day.
Starting the day from the 10th tee, Tamang carded two straight birdies on the first two holes before dropping shots on the 14th and 17th holes to take turn at even-par 36. He carded two-under 34 on the back nine to keep hopes alive. Tamang dropped a shot on the fifth hole against birdies on the third, sixth and seventh.
Another Nepali golfer, Sadbhav Acharya missed the cut after he played three-over 75 in the second round to add to his overnight score of six-over 78. Acharya had a terrible round after he dropped five shots in the last two holes in the first round that included a quadruple bogey eight on the final hole.
On Friday, Acharya played two-over 38 on the front nine before adding one-over 37 on the latter half. He carded a birdie on the third hole before dropping one shot each on fourth, eighth and ninth. He faced a bogey on the 12th hole after taking the turn. Both Tamang and Acharya have been undergoing two-year training at the Tarun Sardesai Golf Academy in India.
Bo Jin of China maintained his lead at the top of the leaderboard. He carded three-under 69 in the second round to post 36-hole total of 10-under 134. Thailand's Ratchanon Chantananuwat and Korea's Wooyoung Cho shared the second position at nine-under 135, while four others – Australia duo Karl Vilips and Harrison Crowe, Japanese Ryuta Suzuki and Singapore's James Leow – were tied for fourth at eight-under 136.
Out of the 120 players from across Asia, 54 golfers survived the cut which was applied at even-par 144.
