Surya Nepal Challenge, the seventh event on the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2024-25, is kicking off at the Royal Nepal Golf Club on Tuesday.

According to the Professional Golfers Association Nepal (PGAN), the event will conclude on May 23. Meanwhile, on May 24, a pro-am will be played with amateur golfers teaming up with professionals.

The organisers informed that 36 professionals and 11 amateurs have registered to take part in Surya Nepal Challenge, the event that will be played over 72 holes with a cut applied after 36 holes. “The top 21 scoring professionals, along with any ties and amateurs who make the professional cut, will advance to the final 36 holes,” PGAN informed in a statement.

As the playing conditions of the course have been tweaked for the tournament, PGAN said that most participants were busy practising on the course to acclimatise with the conditions.

The top contenders in the event include Bhuwan Nagarkoti, Niraj Tamang, defending champion Rabi Khadka, Sukra Bahadur Rai, Dinesh Prajapati and Jayaram Shrestha. Among amateurs is Rahul Bishwakarma, winner of the Surya Nepal Central Open.

Meanwhile, Nepal’s number one amateur, Sadbhav Acharya, will miss the event due to personal reasons.

The event carries a total purse of Rs600,000, with the winner bagging a cheque of Rs110,000, and the runner-up Rs70,000. The one finishing third, fourth and fifth will receive Rs50,000, Rs42,000 and Rs37,000, respectively.

“I am hopeful that the scoring will be low, like in the previous events, and players will continue to perform well,” said Rabindra Man Shrestha, president of PGAN.