The Surya Nepal NPGA Match Play golf tournament tees off at the Royal Nepal Golf Club (RNGC) on Monday.

Top 16 professional golfers under 2015-16 order of merit are qualified to compete in the Match Play, the sixth event of the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2016-17.

All the Match Play fixtures will be played over 18 holes.

The final, however, will be played over 36 holes. The first round comprises of eight matches on Monday.

Quarter-finals and semi-finals will be held on April 25 and the final on April 26. The third-place playoff will also be held on the final day.

Top-ranked Shivaram Shrestha has been paired with 16th ranked Pradeep Kumar Lama.

Other first round pairings include eighth ranked Surya Prasad Sharma against ninth-ranked Jayaram Shrestha, fifth ranked Rabi Khadka against 12th ranked Ramesh Nagarkoti, fourth ranked Dhana Bahadur Thapa against 13th ranked Ram Krishna Shrestha.

Sixth ranked Rame Thapa Magar is up against 11th ranked Pashupati Sharma, third ranked Sanjay Lama will clash against 14th ranked Bikash Adhikari, seventh ranked Deepak Magar Thapa will play against 10th ranked Bal Bhadra Rai, and Umesh Nagarkoti will battle it out against Yelember Adhikari.

The eventual champion will receive Rs 70,000 and the runner-up will earn Rs 40,000. Third-placed golfer will walk away with Rs 28,000 and fourth-place player will take home Rs 20,000.

Four losing quarter-finalists will get Rs 11,000 each and the eight first round losers will also earn Rs 6,000 each in the tournament that offers Rs 250,000 in prize money.