Top pro Shrestha sets NPGA Match Play final date with third seed Nagarkoti

Kathmandu, January 24

Shiva Ram Shrestha and Bhuwan Nagarkoti entered the final of the Surya Nepal NPGA Match Play here at the Royal Nepal Golf Club today.

No 1 pro Shrestha registered an One-Up victory over fifth-ranked Surya Prasad Sharma, while No 3 pro Nagarkoti defeated No 7 Rame Magar 3&1 in the semi-finals of the fifth event under the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2018-19.

Shrestha, the winner of three events of the season, made a slow start and needed Hole-In-One to beat fellow RNGC pro Sharma. Sharma went two-up after winning the first two holes before Shrestha hit back claiming the next two holes.

The two pros went neck-to-neck before Shrestha took lead after the completion of the front nine. The top pro then opened up two-hole lead with an ace on the 14th but failed to preserve the lead. Sharma won the next two holes to level the scores with two holes remaining.

A perfect tee shot and a tap-in birdie put Shrestha ahead on the 17th after Sharma missed from 15 yards. Sharma had a chance to take the match to extra hole but he again missed the birdie putt on the final hole and Shrestha two-putted for a par to share the hole and book a place in the final.

In another semi-final match, Gokarna Golf Club pro Nagarkoti registered the victory on the 17th hole after he went 3-Up. On Thursday, the final will be played over 36 holes, while the third-place match will be of 18 holes.

Earlier in the quarter-finals, top pro Shrestha beat his sibling Jayaram  5&3, while Sharma upset defending champion Rabi Khadka 3&1.

Also, Nagarkoti won 5&4 against Yelamber Singh Adhikari, while Rame Magar stunned Sanjay Lama in third extra hole after they were all-square in regulation 18 holes.

Top 16 pros in the Order of Merit of the previous edition of the Surya Nepal Golf Tour are taking part in the three-day tournament organised by Nepal PGA under the sponsorship of Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd.

The event carries a cash purse of Rs 250,000. The winner will get Rs 70,000, while the runner-up will earn Rs 40,000, Likewise, the third and fourth placed pros will get Rs 28,000 and Rs 20,000 respectively.

The four losing quarter-finalists will get Rs 11,000 each, while the players who lost in the first round will get Rs 6,000 each.