KATHMANDU, April 10: As Surya Nepal Masters, the tournament that boasts of the richest prize money in Nepali golf, is set to tee off from Wednesday at the Gokarna Golf Club, Kathmandu, Nepali professional golfers hope to repeat the historic success Deepak Thapa Magar achieved in 2007.
Thapa himself, however, would be aiming for an encore of his 2007 act. [break]
Thapa is the only Nepali winner in the history of the tournament. In the last few years, golf in Nepal has taken many giant leaps, and it won´t be a surprise if another name is added to the list of home-grown winners of the Surya Nepal Masters, the tournament with a total prize fund of Rs 4 million.
Rupak Acharya, younger brother of a pioneer professional golfer in the country Deepak Acharya, is in the course of establishing himself as a top pro. Emerging as a leading amateur was a natural progression for him and this would be his second season as a professional.
Although he had finished as the top professional after having lost the title to young Ashbeer Saini (amateur) in the last edition, Rupak would be looking forward to emerge as the champion this time round. Likewise, winner of five titles of Surya Nepal NPGA Tour Shiv Ram Shrestha has also shown enough potential to elevate himself as the strong contender of the title.
Winning the title could be a stiff task for Nepali golfers as this year will see the participation of top Indian, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan professionals after Surya Nepal Masters got co-sanctioned by the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) in partnership with Nepal Professional Golf Association (NPGA).
The sanction, apart from being a shot in the arm for Nepal´s most prestigious golfing title, offers a perfect opportunity for Nepali golfers to gauge their progress against some of the better known golfers around. The upcoming edition is the 18th Surya Nepal Masters.