By a Staff Reporter
Kathmandu – Amateur golfer Sadbhav Acharya and pro Sanjay Lama shared the top spot after the second round of the Surya Nepal NPGA Tour Championship, the seventh event under Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2022-23, at the par-72 Gokarna Golf Club on Tuesday.
Sadbhav carded six under 66 on the second day, while overnight leader Sanjay carded two under 70 for the 36-hole total score of eight-under 136. They are one stroke ahead of top amateur and defending champion Subash Tamang after he carded a bogey-free five-under 67 for a total score of seven-under 137.
Niraj Tamang carded four-under 68 and is fourth at three-under 141, whereas Rabi Khadka played one-over 73 to slip down to fifth with a score of two-under 142. Bhuvan Nagarkoti bounced back with a round of four-under 68 to climb up to sixth at one-under 143.
Kamal Tamang carded one-under 71 to move up to seventh at even-par 144, while Bhu Bahadur Gurung played three-over 75 and slipped to eighth place with a score of one-over 145. Ramesh Adhikari (71) and Toran Bikram Shahi (75) share the ninth position at two over 146.
Cut fell at 14-over 158 with 29 players — 21 pros and eight amateurs — making it to the final two rounds. Dinesh Prajapati, Rajendra Shrestha Pradhan, Shivaram Poudel, Surya Prasad Sharma, Jayram Shrestha, Ram Krishna Shrestha, Bal Bhadra Rai, Bhuwan Kumar Rokka, Pradeep Kumar Lama, Tanka Bahadur Karki, Rame Magar, Dhana Bahadur Thapa, and Deepak Magar made the cut in pro section.
Apart from Sadbhav and Subash, other amateurs who qualified for the final two rounds include Vijay Shrestha Einhaus, Suresh Tamang, Wangchen Dhondup, Tashi Tsering, Yubraj Bhujel and Bharat Thapa Magar.
Joint leader Sadbhav played a flawless front nine of seven-under 29 with the help of seven birdies on the first, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and ninth holes. He played one-over 37 on the back nine. Sadbhav carded a birdie on the 12th hole but faced bogeys on the 13th and 15th holes.
Pro Sanjay carded one under 35 on both halves. He carded three birdies on the second, fourth, and fifth holes but he dropped shots on the third and seventh holes. After taking the turn, Sanjay sank two consecutive eagles on the 11th and 12th holes and carded a birdie on the 18th hole but he faced double bogeys on the 14th and 16th holes.
The 13th South Asian Games double gold medalist, Subash carded four-under 32 on the front nine and played one under 35 on the back nine. He carded birdies on the first and fifth holes and sank an eagle on the third hole. After taking the turn, Subash carded a birdie on the 12th hole.
A total of 40 golfers, 31 pros and nine amateurs, took part in the tournament organized by PGA Nepal under the sponsorship of Surya Nepal Pvt Ltd. The event carries a cash purse of Rs 800,000. The winner of the event will bag Rs 140,000, the runner-up will earn Rs 90,000, and the third-place winner will get Rs 67,000. Other pros in the top 21 will earn their share of cash prizes.
