Tamang carded 4-under 64 in the third round for 54-hole score of 10-under 194 and opened up a one-stroke lead over Nepal number one amateur Sadbhav Acharya.
Defending champion Niraj Tamang climbed to the top of the leaderboard after the third round of the Surya Nepal Kathmandu Open, the second event under the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2024-25, at the par-68 Royal Nepal Golf Club on Thursday.
Tamang carded 4-under 64 in the third round for 54-hole score of 10-under 194 and opened up a one-stroke lead over Nepal number one amateur Sadbhav Acharya, who carded 4-under 64 to move up to second at 9-under 195.
Overnight leader Bishnu Prasad Sharma slipped to third at 6-under 198 after he played 1-over 69 in the third round.
Dinesh Prajapati carded 1-under 67 to remain at the fourth position with a total score of 5-under 199, while amateur Rahul BK is fifth at 2-under 202 after he carded 67.
Veteran pro Deepak Magar (68) is sixth at 1-under 203, while Nepal number one pro Bhuvan Nagarkoti carded 67 to move up to seventh at even-par 204.
Three pros, Basanta Raj Gurung, Rame Magar and Pradip Kumar Lama are tied for eighth at 2-over 206. Gurung and Magar carded 3-under 65 each, while Lama played even-par 68.
New leader Tamang took the turn at 3-under 31 and carded 1-under 33 on the back nine. He carded four birdies on the second, fourth, sixth and seventh holes before dropping a shot on the ninth. Tamang carded two straight birdies on the 10th and 11th holes but faced a bogey on the next and saved pars on six remaining holes.
Amateur Acharya carded 1-under 33 on the front nine and fired 3-under 31 on the back nine on his way to playing a bogey-free round. He carded a lone birdie on the fourth hole and added three more on the 10th, 13th and 17th holes.
Leader of the first two rounds, Sharma, carded 1-under 33 on the front nine and played 2-over 36 on the back nine. He dropped shots on the fifth and eighth against birdies on the first, third and ninth holes. After taking the turn, he carded a birdie on the 10th hole and faced three straight bogeys on the 15th, 16th and 17th holes.
A total of 45 golfers—33 pros and 12 amateurs—are taking part in the tournament.
The event boasts a total prize purse of Rs735,500. The winner will take home Rs125,000, while the runner-up will earn Rs85,000. The third-placed golder will receive Rs68,000, while the fourth and fifth-placed players will be awarded Rs55,000 and Rs48,000, respectively.
Other pros in top 21 will also receive their share of cash prizes.
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