By a Staff Reporter
Kathmandu – Indian amateur golfer Sumit Kotwal clinched the title of 9th Nepal Amateur leaving Nepal’s number one amateur golfer Subash Tamang behind by one stroke at the par-72 Gokarna Forest Golf Resort on Wednesday.
Sumit carded one-under 71 for the 54-hole total of 13-under 203, while Subash finished second at 12-under 204 after he carded two-under 70 in the third and final round. Another Nepali golfer, Sadbhav Acharya produced the best card of the day scoring three-under 69 and he came third at 10-under 206.
India’s Varun Muthappa (72) was fourth at two-under 214, while Bhutan’s Ugen Dorji (77) and Nepal’s Tashi Tsering (75) shared the fifth place at one-over 217. Nepal’s Wangchen Dhondup (73) was seventh at two-over 218, Bangladesh’s Md Sumon (74) came eighth at 219 and India’s Suraj Joshi (73), Bangladesh’s Shofiqul Islan (74), and Pakistan’s Umair Saleem (77) shared the ninth position at 10-over 226.
Sumit, who was two strokes ahead going into the final round, fell behind Subash after he played one-over 37 on the back nine where Subash carded two-under 34. Sumit leveled the scores with a birdie on the 13th and he carded two more birdies to take a two-stroke lead after 15 holes. Subash faced a bogey on the 17th to hand Sumit a three-shot lead. But the Indian golfer faced a bogey on the final hole and Subash carded a birdie to cut down the margin to one stroke.
Sumit faced four bogeys on the second, fifth, seventh, and eighth holes against birdies on the first, third, and sixth holes before taking the turn. On the back nine, Sumit carded four consecutive birdies on the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th holes before dropping shots on the 17th and 18th holes.
Subash carded three straight birdies on the fourth, fifth, and sixth holes before facing a bogey on the seventh as he took the turn at two-under 34. He failed to carry the momentum and played one-under 35 on the back nine. He carded birdies on the 12th and 18th holes and Subash faced a double bogey on the 17th hole.
Sadbhav carded three-under 33 on the front nine and played even par 36 on the back nine. He carded birdies on the first and third holes before facing a bogey on the fifth. He bounced back with an eagle on the seventh. After taking the turn, Sadbhav carded a birdie on the 15th hole and dropped a shot on the 18th hole.
Nepali won the team event gold medal on Tuesday with a 36-hole total of 17-under 271. The team of Subash and Sadbhav registered a 14-stroke victory over India’s Sumit Kotwal and Suraj Joshi, who came second at three-under 285. Ugen Dorji and Karma Dorji Khorko of Bhutan finished third at five-over 293.
In the women’s section, Kashmira Shah won the title with a total score of 18 over 234. She played four-over 76 in the third and final round. Sushma Sigdel finished second at 23-over 239 after she played six-over 78. Aaiesteena Tandan was third at 272.
A total of 51 golfers – 44 men and seven women – took part in the tournament organized jointly by Nepal Golf Association and Nepal Tourism Board. National Sports Council Member Secretary Tanka Lal Ghising, President of Mountain Sports Federation Govinda Bhattarai, NGA President Tashi Ghale, and Vice-presidents Pavitra Kumar Karki and Phursang Lama handed over prizes to the winners.
