KATHMANDU: Top pro Shivaram Shrestha and No 2 Sanjay Lama advanced to the final of the Surya Nepal NPGA Match Play at the par-67 Royal Nepal Golf Club on Wednesday.
Shivaram defeated fourth-ranked Rabi Khadka 2&1 in the all-RNGC semi-final, while Army Club pro Sanjay beat Gokarna Golf Club’s Bhuwan Nagarkoti on the first extra hole after they were tied on regulation 18 holes. Shivaram and Sanjay will play over 36 holes in the final on Thursday, while Bhuwan faces Rabi in the third-place match that will be played over 18 holes.
Earlier in the quarter-final matches, Shivaram defeated his RNGC clubmate Rame Magar 3&2, RNGC’s Rabi beat his clubmate Surya Prasad Sharma 5&4, Bhuwan was one-up against RNGC Head Pro Deepak Thapa Magar, and Sanjay outplayed fellow Army Club pro Dhana Thapa 4&2.
A total of 16 pros – top 16 in the last year’s Order of Merit – took part in the fifth tournament under Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2015-16. 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.