The pulsating Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2018-19 comes to an end with the next week’s lucrative Premier Golf Championship at the at the par-72 Gokarna Golf Club.

The ninth and final event of the season is scheduled for May 13-17 and the tournament offers Rs 1.26 million in total prize money, by far the most lucrative of all Tour events. The eventual champions will receive Rs 230,000, runner-up will get Rs 140,000 and third-place pro will earn Rs 95,000. Apart from the trophy, the professional golfers will be looking at finishing as high as possible in the Order of Merit.

So far, Nepal No 1 pro Shivaram Shrestha has won the first four titles and Dhana Bahadur Thapa won one. Remarkably, amateur golfers Sukra Bahadur Rai, Subash Tamang and Tanka Bahadur Karki stunned the vaunted field to win one pro titles each this season. Amateur golfers have been consistently putting pressure on pros.

In the absence of Shivaram, who currently undergoing training in the United States of America, the Surya Nepal Premier is expected to be open for all including the amateurs. Tribhuvan Army Officers Golf Club pro Dhana Thapa and amateurs Subash Tamang and Tanka Bahadur Karki are among the strong contenders for the Premier title.

For Thapa, the Premier is a chance to move one step ahead in the Order of Merit. The third-ranked pro, who won the Surya Nepal Pilot Golfers NPGA Classic for his fourth career title, has already started his preparation for the season-ending event. “I am looking to finish second in the Order of Merit and that is only possible if I win title next week,” says Thapa, who finished third in the Surya Nepal Kathmandu Open. “I did not fare well in the past few events as I had adopted a new sets of gear. Now I am feeling accustomed with it and hope to do well,” said Thapa.

Tamang is the youngest winner on the Tour. He won the Surya Nepal Challenge at the age of 17 outplaying the likes of Bhuwan Nagarkoti and Sanjay Lama. He was the fourth amateur golfer to win the major trophy. Tamang had also finished third among amateurs in the Surya Nepal NPGA Classic. “I have been able to focus on my game after joining the Army Club and I am looking forward to the Surya Nepal Premier,” said Tamang.

National champion Tanka Bahadur Karki is another contender for the Premier title. Karki became the third amateur golfer to win a pro title this season when he claimed the Surya Nepal NPGA Tour Championship. He also clinched the individual gold medal in the eighth National Games. Karki, who also bagged amateur title of the NPGA Pilot Golfers, had also won the team event gold medal with Sukra Bahadur Rai in the Bangladesh Amateur Open last year.

Karki believes the course and holes are the main competitors for him. “Golf course and the holes are the main challenges for golfers rather than specific players. You have to overcome the course first and I am looking forward to challenge next week,” said Karki.