Nepali Times
Nation
Golf masters


The 16th Nepal Masters Golf Tournament takes place on 21-25 April, in Kathmandu, with the winner's prize money upped by 25 per cent this year to Rs 2.5 million.

Organised by Surya Nepal, it will see players coming from all over Nepal and Asia to participate. The event was launched initially by the former managing director of Surya Nepal, Ray Noronah, who has taken part in various golf tournaments across the world.

When he introduced the concept of an international golf tournament in Nepal in the nineties, it was a relatively new sport and there was only one nine-hole golf course, the Royal Nepal Golf Course in Tilganga. After months of planning, the golf course was made ready and equipment brought in.

Surya Nepal invited professional players and amateurs from all over South Asia, Thailand, Singapore and other countries to take part. Around the same time, an 18-hole golf course was being landscaped at Gokarna. It measured up to international standards, giving the tournament a better location.

Interest in the sport soon caught on in Kathmandu and more Nepali golfers took part. Some of the first professional golfers to emerge from Nepal included Deepak Thapa, Ghanashyam Thapa, Ridhi Sapkota and Bhimsen Karki. Their participation inspired younger golfers like Deepak Acharya to join the club. Acharya became the first Nepali professional golfer in 1993. After him, a long line of players from Nepal tried their luck on the golf course.

In 2007, Deepak Thapa became the first Nepali to win the Surya Nepal Master's title.



LATEST ISSUE
638
(11 JAN 2013 - 17 JAN 2013)


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