Kathmandu: Rabi Khadka took a one-stroke lead over defending champion Subash Tamang on first day of the Surya Nepal Premier Golf Championship, eighth and final event of the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2024-25, at par-72 Gokarna Golf Club in Kathmandu on Monday.
Rabi Khadka carded 5-under 67 in the first round to stay at the top of the leaderboard, while Subash carded 4-under 68 in his first tournament of the season. Nepal No 1 pro Bhuvan Nagarkoti and Dhana Bahadur Thapa are tied for third at 3-under 69 along with amateur duo Nim Dorji Tamang and Rahul Biswakarma.
Niraj Tamang and Bishnu Prasad Sharma share seventh position at 2-under 70, while veteran pro Deepak Magar, Ram Krishna Shrestha and amateur Wangchen Dhondup are tied for ninth at 1-under 71. Four others, pros Shivaram Poudel and Dinesh Prajapati along with amateur duo Tashi Tsering and Sadbhav Acharya are tied for 12thposition at even-par 72.
Leader Rabi carded 4-under 32 on the front nine after he carded four consecutive birdies on the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth holes. He played 1-under 35 on the back nine after he dropped a shot on the 13th hole against 12th and 17th holes.
Defending champion Subash took the turn at 1-over 37 and he bounced back strongly with 5-under 31 on the back nine. He carded a birdie on the sixth hole against bogeys on the fifth and seventh holes. He carded birdies on the 10th, 12thand 16th holes and he sank an eagle on the 15thhole.
Likewise, pros Bhuvan and Dhana and Bhutanese amateur golfer Nim Dorji all carded 3-under 33 on front nine and played even-par 36 on the back nine. Nepal national golf team member Rahul took the turn at 1-under 35 and he carded 2-under 34 on the back nine.
In the amateur section, Nim Dorji and Rahul are tied for lead at 3-under 69. Nim Dorji sank two eagles on the third and seventh holes and carded three birdies, while Rahul faced two bogeys against five birdies. Wangchen, who faced a quadruple bogey nine on the par-5 seventh holes but recovered with a total of six birdies, is third at to 1-under 71.
A total of 37 pros and 18 amateur golfers are taking part in the 72-hole tournament. Cut will be applied after 36 holes, with top 21 pros and ties along with amateurs making the pros cut will advance to the final two rounds.
The biggest tournament of the season in terms of cash purse, the event carries a total prize of Rs 1.6 million. The winner of this season-ending event will walk away with Rs 300,000, the runner-up will receive Rs 185,000, while the third, fourth, and fifth-place finishers will earn Rs 125,000, Rs 105,000, and Rs 92,000, respectively. Other pros in top 21 will receive their share of cash prizes.
The Pro-Am event is scheduled for June 21, and it will feature 25 professional golfers and 100 corporate-level amateurs in an engaging and competitive format designed to offer valuable exposure to emerging talents.
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