Bhuvan Nagarkoti won the title of the Surya Nepal Western Open, the fourth event under the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2023-24, at the par-69 Himalayan Golf Course in Pokhara on Friday.

Nagarkoti set two new records in the tournament. He fired a course record of 7-under 62 on the second day, eclipsing the previous best of 6-under set by Shivaram Shrestha in 2017. Nagarkoti also posted a record winning total of 10-under 197, breaking Shivaram's mark of 9-under.

Former Nepal number one pro Nagarkoti carded even-par 69 in the third and final round to record a 12-stroke victory over Rabi Khadka and amateur golfer Sadbhav Acharya. Khadka and Acharya both played 1-over 70 for a total score of 2-over 209.

The victory gave Nagarkoti his 11th major career title and a purse of Rs140,000.

Khadka earned Rs96,000, while Acharya received the amateur section trophy after he finished ahead of Prajwal Gurung, who finished distant second at 222. Gurung played 3-over 72.

Niraj Tamang carded an even-par 69 to finish third among pros with a total score of 4-over 211. He bagged Rs72,000. Veteran pro Deepak Magar came fourth at 213 after he carded even-par 69. Magar got Rs59,000. Pradip Kumar Lama claimed fifth position at 10-over 217. He played 3-over 72 in the final round and he earned Rs50,000.

Bal Bhadra Rai, Bhu Bahadur Gurung and Sanjay Lama shared the sixth position with the score of 12-over 218. They got Rs39,000 each.

Dinesh Prajapati and Dal Bahadur Lama shared the ninth position at 219 and walked home with Rs32,000 each.

Nagarkoti began the day with an 11-stroke advantage and he was never troubled throughout the round. He carded even-par 34 on the front nine and played even-par 35 on the back nine. He made a flying start with a birdie and added another on the fifth hole. He dropped shots on the fourth and seventh holes. After the turn, he faced bogeys on the 14th and 18th holes against birdies on the 15th and 16th holes.

Khadka played 3-over 37 on the front nine and carded 2-under 33 on the back nine. He carded a birdie on the third hole and dropped shots on the first and eighth along with a double bogey on the seventh hole. He recovered on the back nine carding birdies on the 15th and 18th holes.

Amateur Acharya carded even-par 34 on the front nine and played 1-over 36 on the back nine. He started the day with a bogey and carded a birdie on the seventh hole. After taking the turn, Acharya dropped shots on the 12th, 15th and 16th holes against birdies on the 10th and 13th holes.

Tamang played 1-over 35 on the front nine and carded 1-under 34 on the back nine. He carded birdies on the second and third before facing three bogeys on the fourth, sixth and ninth holes. On the back nine, he carded three birdies on the 13th, 15th and 18th holes but he suffered a double bogey on the 17th hole.

A total of 50 players, including 35 pros and 15 amateurs, took part in the 54-hole event. The tournament carried a purse of Rs840,000 and top 21 pros received their share of cash prizes.

The tournament will end with a Pro-Am event on Saturday. A total of 76 amateur golfers from across the country will rub shoulders with 19 pros in the event.