Thapa of RNGC and Nagarkoti of Gokarna Golf Club carded one-under 66 each at the par-67 course to share the top spot. Army pro Dhana Thapa, Purna Sharma and RNGC´s Shiva Ram Shrestha were tied for third at even-par 67.[break]
Yelamber Singh Adhikari and Rabi Khadka were joint sixth at one-over 68, with three pros -- Bikash Adhikari, CB Bhandari and Jaya Ram Shrestha -- tied for eighth at two-over 69. Suman Rai of Dharan scored 71 to end the day in 11th position.
In the amateur section, Neeraj SJB Rana, Bikash Bogati and Tanka Bahadur Karki carded four-over 71 to share the lead. Shiva Raj Majhi was fourth at 74, one ahead of Mithun Rai.
Defending champion Thapa carded one-under 32 on the front nine with birdies on the fourth and eighth holes against a bogey on the second hole. He then played even-par 34 on the back nine. He dropped shots on the 14th and 15th holes before hitting consecutive birdies on the final two holes.
Nagarkoti also carded 32 and 34 respectively in the two halves. On the front nine, Nagarkoti hit a birdie on the fourth hole and saved par on other eight holes. After taking the turn, he bogeyed on the 12th and 13th holes before hitting birdies on the 15th and 17th holes.
Nepal No 1 pro Shiva Ram Shrestha took the turn at one-under 32 but played one-over 35 on the back nine.
Altogether 47 golfers -- 33 pros and 14 amateurs -- are competing in the four-day event organized by Nepal Professional Golfers´ Association and sponsored by Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd. The cut will be applied after the second day with the top 21 golfers -- both pros and amateurs -- making it to the final two rounds. The event carries a total cash prize of Rs 363,000 and the top three pros will get Rs Rs 65,000, Rs 42,000 and Rs 30,000 respectively.
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