Kathmandu: Toran Bikram Shahi held onto his lead after the third round of the Surya Nepal Central Open, the opening event of the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2024-25, at the par-72 Gokarna Golf Club on Wednesday.
Toran carded 1-under 71 for a 54-hole total score of 11-under 205, extending his lead to four strokes ahead of amateur duo Sadbhav Acharya and Rahul BK. Sadbhav, the defending champion, posted the best score of the day with a 6-under 66, climbing to joint second place alongside Rahul, who carded 2-under 70. Both are at 7-under 209.
Niraj Tamang is in fourth place at 4-under 212 after shooting 1-under 71, while top pro Bhuvan Nagarkoti struggled with a 5-over 77, dropping to fifth place at 1-under 215. Jayram Shrestha moved up to sixth after a 1-under 71, bringing his total to an even-par 216.
Four other pros—Rabi Khadka, Krishna Man Rajbahak, Rajendra Thapa Magar, and Sunil KC—are tied for seventh at 2-over 218. Rabi and Krishna Man shot 71s, while Rajendra carded 2-over 74. Sunil KC had a difficult day with a 9-over 81, falling five places on the leaderboard.
Overnight leader Toran started strong with a 3-under 33 on the front nine, but his momentum slowed after the turn, as he carded 2-over 38 on the back nine. He began with birdies on the first two holes and added two more on the fifth and sixth before bogeying the ninth. On the back nine, Toran dropped shots on the 12th, 15th, and 16th, with just one birdie on the 13th.
Sadbhav made a significant move, climbing into the leader’s group alongside Toran and Rahul. He posted 3-under 33 on both nines. Sadbhav had three birdies on the front nine—on the first, third, and seventh holes—and four consecutive birdies on the 11th through 14th holes. His only blemish came with a bogey on the par-5 15th.
Rahul took the turn at 2-under 34 and shot an even-par 36 on the back nine. He had birdies on the seventh and ninth holes, with a bogey on the 11th, and a birdie on the 15th.
Dharan pro Niraj Tamang shot 1-over 37 on the front nine, with a bogey on the first hole and eight straight pars. He finished strong with 2-under 34 on the back nine, thanks to birdies on the 12th, 15th, and 17th holes, though he bogeyed the 16th.
In the amateur category, Vijay Einhaus Shrestha is third at 7-over 223 after a round of 6-over 78. Surendra Phuyal follows in fourth at 12-over 228, with Gajendra Gurung at 232 and Balaram Poudel at 243.
A total of 47 players participated in the season-opening tournament, which carries a cash purse of Rs 882,000. The top three pros will receive Rs 150,000, Rs 100,000, and Rs 75,000, while other pros in the top 21 will share the remaining prize money.
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