Nepal number one pro Sukra Bahadur Rai carded 3-under 67 in the first round of the Surya Nepal Eastern Open, the third event under Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2023-24, at the par-70 Dharan Golf Club on Wednesday.

Local pro Rai is one-stroke ahead of Niraj Tamang, who carded 2-under 68. Amateur golfers Yubraj Bhujel and Padam Hang are joint third at 1-under 69.

Former top pro Bhuvan Nagarkoti is fifth at even-par 70. Rame Magar is sixth at 71, while local pros Sabin Sapkota and Deo Raj Pakhrin share seventh position at 2-over 72.

Veteran pro Deepak Magar is ninth at 73, whereas Dhana Bahadur Thapa and amateur Gajendra Gurung are tied for 10th place at 4-over 74.

Rai, who came to Dharan after retaining the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) card, began the day with an eagle on the par-5 third hole but he faced a double bogey on the next. He then carded three consecutive birdies on the fifth, sixth and seventh before adding another on the ninth.

On the back nine, Rai carded birdies on the 12th and 16th holes but he suffered a double bogey on the 13th hole and dropped a shot on the 17th hole.

Tamang carded birdies on the third, fifth and ninth holes to take the turn at bogey-free 3-under 33. He played 1-over 35 on the back nine. Tamang dropped shots on the 14th and 15th holes before carding a birdie on the 16th hole.

Amateur Bhujel carded 2-under 34 before the turn and played 1-over 35 on the back nine. He carded birdies on the third and fifth holes on the bogey-free front nine. He added another birdie on the 12th hole but dropped shots on the 14th and 16th holes.

Another amateur Hang began the day with a birdie but faced a double bogey on the fourth and dropped a shot on the fifth hole. He bounced back with birdies on the sixth, eighth and ninth holes. On the back nine, Hang dropped shots on the 14th and 15th holes against birdies on the 10th and 18th holes.

Nagarkoti carded even-par 36 on the front nine and played even-par 34 on the back nine. He faced bogeys on the first and fifth holes against birdies on the second and ninth holes before taking the turn. Nagarkoti then dropped a shot on the 10th and carded a birdie on the 11th before saving pars on the remaining seven holes.

A total of 47 golfers—30 pros and 17 amateurs—are taking part in the 54-hole tournament. The event carries a cash purse of Rs840,000. The top three pros will receive Rs140,000, Rs96,000 and Rs72,000 respectively. Other pros in top 21 will earn their share of cash prizes. The tournament will conclude with a Pro-Am event on Saturday.