Toran leads, Niraj one stroke behind in NPGA Tour

KATHMANDU: Toran Bikram Shahi remained at the top of the leaderboard after third round of the Surya Nepal NPGA Tour Championship, the fifth event under Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2024-25, at the par-72 Gokarna Golf Club on Thursday.

Toran carded 2-under 70 for 54-hole total of 13-under 203 to take lead for the third straight day.

But he saw his lead cut down to one stroke after Niraj Tamang charged from behind.

Winner of two events, Niraj carded 4-under 68 to stay at second with total score of 12-under 204.

Amateur duo, Rahul Bishwakarma and defending champion Sadbhav Acharya carded 6-under 66 each to share third position at 6-under 210.

Pro Jayram Shrestha moved up to fifth at 5-under 211 after he carded 4-under 68 in the third round.

Nepal No 1 pro Bhuvan Nagarkoti carded 3-under 69 and climbed to sixth at 4-under 212, while Dinesh Prajapati moved up to seventh at 3-under 213 after a round of 1-under 71.

Sanjay Lama carded 3-under 69 to move up to eighth place with total score of 2-under 214, while Rame Magar and Tanka Bahadur Karki are tied for ninth at even-par 216.

Rame carded 2-under 70 and Tanka played 2-over 74 in the third round.

Leader Toran took the turn at 2-under 34 with the help of birdies on the sixth and seventh holes.

He played even-par 36 on the back nine after he dropped shots on 10th and 15th holes against birdies on the 11th and 12th holes.

Niraj played 1-over 37 on the front nine before bouncing back strongly on the back nine with 5-under 31.

He faced bogeys on the fifth and seventh holes against a lone birdie on the eighth hole. After taking the turn, Niraj carded three birdies on the 12th, 15th and 16th holes and sank an eagle on the par-4 18th hole.

Amateur Rahul carded 1-under 35 on the front nine and fired 5-under 31 on the back nine. He dropped a shot on the eighth hole after carding birdies on the third and seventh holes.

On the flawless back nine, Rahul carded five birdies on the 10th, 11th, 12th, 15th and 16th holes.

Nepal No 1 amateur Sadbhav carded birdies on the third, fifth, sixth and seventh holes on bogey-free 4-under 32 on the front nine.

He carded three birdies on the 11th, 12th and 18th holes and faced the lone bogey of the day on the 13th hole on his way to carding 2-under 32 on the back nine.

A total of 39 golfers – 30 pros and 9 amateurs – are taking part in the tournament organized by PGA Nepal under the sponsorship of Surya Nepal Pvt. Ltd. The tournament carries a cash purse of Rs 882,000.

The winner of the event will bag Rs 150000, the runner-up will earn Rs 100,000 and the third-place pro will get Rs 75000. Other pros in top 21 will also earn their share of prize money.