Rabi Khadka Leads after First Round of Surya Nepal Premier Golf Championship
Kathmandu – Rabi Khadka surged to the top of the leaderboard with an impressive 5-under 67 on the opening day of the Surya Nepal Premier Golf Championship, the final and most lucrative event of the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2024/25, being held at the par-72 Gokarna Golf Club.
Khadka holds a narrow one-stroke lead over defending champion Subash Tamang, who carded a 4-under 68 in his first appearance of the season. Close behind, Nepal’s top-ranked professional Bhuvan Nagarkoti and Dhana Bahadur Thapa are tied for third at 3-under 69 alongside amateur standouts Nim Dorji Tamang and Rahul Biswakarma.
Niraj Tamang and Bishnu Prasad Sharma are tied for seventh with 2-under 70, while veteran Deepak Magar, Ram Krishna Shrestha, and amateur Wangchen Dhondup share ninth place at 1-under 71. Four players, including pros Shivaram Poudel and Dinesh Prajapati along with amateurs Tashi Tsering and Sadbhav Acharya, are tied for 12th at even-par 72.
Rabi’s stellar round featured a burst of four consecutive birdies on the sixth through ninth holes, helping him to a front-nine 32. Despite a bogey on the 13th, he added birdies on the 12th and 17th for a back-nine 35.
Subash, the reigning champion, recovered from a rocky front nine (1-over 37) with a blazing 5-under 31 on the back. After an early birdie on the sixth was offset by bogeys on the fifth and seventh, Subash caught fire with birdies on the 10th, 12th, and 16th holes, and an eagle on the par-5 15th.
Nagarkoti, Thapa, and Bhutan’s Nim Dorji all played a consistent round with 3-under 33 on the front nine and even-par 36 on the back. Amateur Rahul Biswakarma finished strongly as well, shooting 1-under 35 on the front and 2-under 34 on the back.
In the amateur section, Nim Dorji and Rahul are tied at the top with matching 3-under 69s. Dorji’s round was highlighted by two eagles (on the third and seventh holes) and three birdies, while Rahul countered two bogeys with five birdies. Wangchen Dhondup sits third at 1-under 71 despite a quadruple bogey on the par-5 seventh; he rallied with six birdies to stay in contention.
A total of 37 professional and 18 amateur golfers are competing in the 72-hole championship. A cut will be made after 36 holes, with the top 21 professionals and ties, along with the leading amateurs making the pro cut, advancing to the final two rounds.
With a total prize purse of Rs 1.6 million, the Surya Nepal Premier Golf Championship is the richest event of the season. The winner will earn Rs 300,000, while the runner-up will take home Rs 185,000. The third, fourth, and fifth-place finishers will receive Rs 125,000, Rs 105,000, and Rs 92,000 respectively. All professionals finishing in the top 21 will receive cash prizes.
The tournament will conclude with a Pro-Am event on June 21, where 25 professional golfers will be joined by 100 corporate amateurs in a dynamic format designed to promote the sport and provide exposure to rising talent.
