KATHMANDU, March 15: Top ranked golfer Shiva Ram Shrestha, Rame Magar, Rabi Khadka, Surya Sharma, Deepak Thapa Magar, Bhuwan (Umesh) Nagarkoti, Sanjay Lama, and Dhana Thapa advanced to the quarter-finals of the Surya Nepal NPGA Match Play at the Royal Nepal Golf Club on Tuesday.
Nepal No 1 pro Shiva Ram of RNGC defeated Himalayan Golf Course pro Sanjeev Nepali 7&5. While Rame Magar defeated Ramesh Adhikari 3&2. Likewise, defending champion Rabi Khadka won over Pashupati Sharma 6&5. Surya Sharma outplayed Dinesh Prajapati 8&6.
Match between Deepak Thapa Magar and Jayaram Shrestha was the most interesting match of the day, they were tied after regular 18 holes of play, and went to sudden death play-off. Deepak defeated Jayaram on the seventh extra hole.
Another interesting match was between two brothers Bhuwan and Ramesh Nagarkoti. Both were tied on regular play and Bhuwan outplayed his elder brother Ramesh on second extra hole. Army Club pro Dhana Thapa registered 3&2 victory over Dharan’s Bal Bhadra (Mani) Rai. Second ranked player Sanjay Lama outplayed Yelamber S. Adhikari 3&2.
In Wednesday’s quarter-finals, Shiva Ram will face Rame Magar, while Rabi Khadka will take on Surya Sharma. Likewise, Deepak Thapa Magar will be up against Bhuwan (Umesh) Nagarkoti and Dhana Thapa will face Sanjay Lama. The semi-finals are also slated for Wednesday, while the third-place and final matches are slated for Thursday. The final will be played over 36 holes, while other matches will be of 18 holes.
A total of 16 pros – top 16 in the last year’s Order of Merit – took part in the tournament. Out of the total cash purse of Rs 200,000, the top four pros will receive Rs 50,000, Rs 30,000, Rs 22,000 and Rs 18,000 respectively, whereas losing quarter-finalists will earn Rs 10,000 each. Likewise, the first-round losers will get Rs 5,000 apiece.