KATHMANDU, May 10: Yet another season of Surya Nepal Golf Tour is coming to its end with the Surya Nepal Premier Golf Championship next week.
The ninth and final event of the season is slated for May 13 to 17 at the Gokarna Golf Club.
Apart from the coveted trophy, professional golfers will be looking to finish strong in the tournament for better position in the Order of Merit.
In the absence of Shiva Ram Shrestha, who is in the United States for training, the Surya Nepal Premier is expected to be open for all professionals (pro) and amateurs as well.
Tribhuvan Army Club pro Dhana Thapa and amateurs Subash Tamang and Tanka Bahadur Karki are among the strong contenders for the Surya Nepal Premier title.
All three golfers have won one each title this season and they are looking forward to end the season in style.
Dhana wins Surya Nepal Western Open
For Thapa, the Surya Nepal Premier is an opportunity to move one step ahead in the Order of Merit.
The third-ranked pro, who won the Surya Nepal Pilot Golfers NPGA Classic for his fourth career title, has already started his preparation for the season-ending event.
“I am aiming to finish second in the Order of Merit and that is possible if I win the Surya Nepal Premier,” says Dhana, who finished third in the Surya Nepal Kathmandu Open.
“I was not able to do well in previous events as I had changed the set. Now I have started to get the feeling of the clubs and I am hoping to end the season with a big win,” he adds.
Amateur Subash Tamang, who recently joined Army Club in contract basis, is the youngest winner in the tour. He won the Surya Nepal Challenge at the age of 17 after he outplayed the likes of Bhuwan Nagarkoti and Sanjay Lama.
He was the fourth amateur golfer to win the major trophy. Subash had also finished third among amateurs in the Surya Nepal NPGA Classic.
National champion Tanka Bahadur Karki is another strong contender for the Surya Nepal Premier.
Tanka became the third amateur golfer to win major title this season when he claimed Surya Nepal NPGA Tour Championship.
He then won the individual section gold medal in the eighth National Games.
Tanka, who also bagged amateur title of the Surya Nepal NPGA Pilot Golfers, had bagged team section gold medal along with Sukra Bahadur Rai in the Bangladesh Amateur Open last year.
