Surya Nepal Golf Tour tees off today

Kathmandu, December 22

The 12th edition of the Surya Nepal Golf Tour is beginning here at the Gokarna Forest Golf Resort from Monday.

The 2019-20 season features eight events and carries a total cash purse of Rs 5.675 million, informed the organisers, Nepal PGA in a release. The final event of the season, Surya Nepal Premier Golf Championship carries the highest prize money of Rs 1.325 million, while Surya Nepal Challenge is the smallest one with a purse of Rs 470,000.

Four events — Surya Nepal Central Open, Eastern Open, Western Open and NPGA Tour Championship — carry Rs 700,000 each, while the Kathmandu Open and Pilot Golfers NPGA Classic offer Rs 580,000 and Rs 500,000 respectively. Out of the eight events, three tournaments will be played at Gokarna, while RNGC will host two.

Nirvana Country Club of Dharan and Himalayan Golf Course in Pokhara will host one each events, while the Pilot Golfers NPGA Classic will be played at Gokarna and RNGC.

The season opener, Surya Nepal Central Open will be played at the Gokarna from December 23- 26. A total of 43 professional golfers — a record number in Surya Nepal Golf Tour events — and four amateurs will take part in the event that carries a purse of Rs 700,000. After the second round, top 21 pros and three amateurs will make it to the final two rounds. The winner will be richer by Rs 125,000, while the runner-up will get Rs 80,000 and third-placed pro take home Rs 58,000. Other pros who make the cut will earn their share of cash prizes.

Nepal No 1 pro Bhuwan Nagarkoti will launch the defense of his status, while Shiva Ram Shrestha will bid to reclaim the top position.

But they are set to get stiff challenge from newly-turned pros Sukra Bahadur Rai and Tanka Bahadur Karki — who won one each events as amateur players in the previous season.

Rai and Karki, who bagged team event gold medals in the 13th South Asian Games earlier this month, had kept their pro cards on hold since 2017 and they will make their professional debut from the event on Monday along with Bipin Tamang, Bhimsen Chaulagai, Binod Tamang, Sunil KC and Kamal Thapa, who earned pro cards in the Surya Nepal Golf Tour Qualifying School last month. The SA Games double gold medallist, Subash Tamang is expected to lead the amateur field and give hard times to the pros as well.

Nepal PGA is pinning hopes on a couple of players to go abroad and pursue the professional career.

“We want some of the pros to go to India and try their hands in the PGTI,” said General Secretary Deepak Acharya.

“We will have eight events in the upcoming season and we want some of our pros break into the Indian Tour from the money they earn here. A couple of guys including Sukra Bahadur Rai and Tanka Bahadur Karki have the potential and the NPGA is ready to assist them in every possible way,” he added.

Acharya said the arrival of new players would help in raising the standard of the game. “Some of the new golfers are really good and I think they will take the competition to the next level. The pros need to buckle up and put in lot of efforts to remain in contention,” said Acharya.

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