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]]>We saw the 1st South Asian Body Building & Fitness Championship last week. Immediately followed the 2nd U-21 South Asia Badminton Championship that kickstarted today.
Following the lines, Nepal is hosting another interesting sport event, country’s one of the key sports growing in demand gradually- The Golf.
Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2018-19 is currently hosting its 2018 golf sports tournament, and the second event of the tournament, Surya Nepal Kathmandu Open, is being organized at the Royal Nepal Golf Club (RNGC) on November 27, 2018.
Around 33 professional and 8 amateur golfers are taking part in this 72-hole golf tournament.
With elimination starting after 36 holes, the tournament will see top 21 pros, ties (if any) and top six amateurs in the last two rounds.
The tournament has a whopping Rs 551,250 cash prize for the champion along with an assured of NPR 95,000. And, the first and second runners-up will get NPR 65,000 and NPR 55,000, respectively.
All the pros who make it to the final two rounds will also get their share of cash rewards.
The tournament will see an intense battle between top-ranked golf pro Shiva Ram Shrestha with the likes of Bhuwan Nagarkoti, Sanjay Lama, Jayram Shrestha and Ram Thapa.
Meanwhile, Sukra Bahadur Rai, Tanka Bahadur Karki, Subash Tamang and Binod Tamang are among the top contenders for the amateur title.
“I am looking forward to good scores from more players in this tournament. The playing standard in the last few years have been tremendous. While I thank our sponsor Surya Nepal, I wish all the players the very best for the tournament,” said Nepal Professional Golfers Association and RNGC President Rabindra Man Shrestha.
Also Read:
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]]>Whether it’s young & energetic Gaurika Singh or left-arm spin bowler Sandeep Lamichhane, we know why Nepal is known for what it is!
And with strong backbones like the Nepal Sports Council (NSC) and the respective sports bodies toiling hard to promote various sports in Nepal and produce the rarest of the rare, Nepal is slowly becoming Asia’s pride.
Here is a list of sports that set the Nepali hearts racing with passion and determination:
Volleyball: After the government declared Volleyball as Nepal’s National Game on May 23, 2017, there was no stopping for volleyball enthusiasts across the nation. The craze for the game only picked up and took Nepal beyond its boundaries to become one with the world.
The one thing that makes Volleyball the ‘Nation’s sport of choice’ is its easily-playable nature in any terrain. Read More
Handball: With indulgence for both men and women, the engaging sport is picking up popularity in Nepal. The Nepal Handball Association (NHA) has been striving to promote the sport in the country since its membership with the International Handball Federation in 1984. The country has made some exceptional performances in the field of handball. Nepal Women’s Handball team were runners-up for the 5th South Asian Handball Championship 2018. Read More
Cricket: If anything is loved more passionately after football in Nepal, it is cricket! And with the country winning their recent ODI status, the game is a truly loved and looked-up to sport.If the team didn’t surprise you enough, watch closely to see how effortlessly Sandeep Lamichhane beats his opponents, how under Paras Khadka’s able leadership, the country makes its ambush against the enemy and how Dipendra Singh Airee stuns the opposite team with strikingly both batting and bowling skills. Read More
Swimming: When we associate Nepal with swimming, Gaurika Singh and Shirish Gurung are the first to strike everyone’s mind.
Sharing similar spirit is the 20-year old Shirish Gurung who has 15 national records to his credit. No wonder Nepal is proud of them! Despite the lack of good facilities, the country is pushing hard to produce more stars like them. Read More
Table Tennis: The best thing about Nepal is it doesn’t treat disability the way it is, instead uses this inability to fulfill the dreams of those who wish to represent their country.Yes! Nepal’s Physical Disabled Table Tennis Association (NPDTTA) helps physically-challenged step-up and participate in tournaments both national and international.
A 2016 initiative ‘Table Tennis for NepALL’ hosted by ITTF and UNSOSDP, provided an excellent platform for differently-abled people with the aim to bring differently-abled people in society’s fold. This strongly affirms that ‘Nepal is here to stay’ in term of sports! Read More
Basketball: While Naismith took some time to set the game into action, it didn’t take Nepal that long to take up to basketball!
Nepal’s NeBA and NeWBA are the driving forces behind the game’s popularity in the country. Their zealous efforts are what takes the ‘game to the people’. Read More
Ice Hockey: While Ice Hockey is a legacy in the making, it’s still undeniable that the country is making use of whatever resources it has to promote the sport in the country.
Highly dependent on Lake Tilicho for skating and ice hockey, the country is additionally equipped with four outdoor inline hockey rinks spread across important locations in Nepal. Currently, the governing body NIHA is working hard to setup a state-of-the-art facility with assistance from the IIHF. Read More
Golf: Golf is still considered the game of the elite but Nepal is bent on proving us wrong. Nepal’s Pratima Sherpa who hails from a poor family has stunned the ‘best in the game’ with her skill and finesse.
Her age nor her background restricts her from taking up and pursuing her passion for the sport. Read More
Martial Arts: What struck for all of us a self-defense technique, became a defense mechanism for humanity in Nepal.
The Kung Fu Nuns of Nepal are proof to this. They use this art to protect the rights of the weaker communities. Be it Kung Fu, Judo or Karate, Nepal’s feat at martial arts is not something that can be hidden. With several governing bodies for each sport, we know that the country has a long way to go and a bright future in every area of martial arts. Read More
Taekwondo: Nepal’s breakthrough with Taekwondo happened in 1988 when it won its first Olympics medal. That was enough to set up a legacy that survives till date.With the introduction of this art in 1983, the Nepal government realized its importance and decided to use it for the Nepal Police and Army departments.
Today, Taekwondo is practiced even by the general public of Nepal. Read More
Football: For Nepalis, football is much more than just a sport. The country’s recent achievements at the SAFF U18 and U15, among other championships speak of Nepalese passion and growing enthusiasm for football.
Moreover, All Nepal Football Association’s (ANFA) push for skilled footballers right from the grassroot level is offering an additional boost. With increased awareness on the sport from ANFA’S Education program, the country is sure to produce more and more skilled players. No doubt! Nepal has a promising future for football sport. Read More
The Abode of Talents and Skills
Nepal never ceases to surprise the world with its gifts and talents. Even though it is just one country among the hundreds of nations, it constantly reminds us from time-to-time about its existence and its uniqueness!
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]]>Nepali golfing stars Sukra Bahadur Rai and Tanka Bahadur Karki will be doing their best to win at the Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore.
The 36-hole championship has always been jinxed for Nepal and now the Nepal Golf Association (NGA) hopes to break this circle of bad luck with Rai and Karki.
Talking about the players’ performances, NGA President Tashi Ghale said, “Off late Sukra has been performing well in international events and I am hopeful that he would be able to make the cut in Singapore.”
“As the course is a long one, Tanka will have advantage. But he needs to check his distance calculation properly,” he added, in the Karki’s case.
Rai who seemed confident about his upcoming test said, “I played well in both practice rounds and that has helped me in gaining confidence for the championship. I know I have a chance to create history in Nepali golf and I will try my best to give my 100 per cent in the championship.”
Rai has a record of even-par scores for the first three rounds of Faldo Series Asia Final in Vietnam.
“I have set a certain target for me in the first round and I am hoping to meet that tomorrow. “We have participated in many tournaments and we have matured as players now. We know how to cope with the situation,” said Karki, sharing the same confidence as Rai, ahead of the upcoming tournament.
Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, the Masters Tournament & the R&A are organizing the 10th Asia Pacific Amateur Championship, which will witness the participation of 120 players from 40 countries.
Conclusion:
Rai and Karki won the Bhutan Open Overall Title and Team Trophy in 2017. Let’s see if they’ll create the same magic in Singapore again.
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]]>No doubt, Nepal has always been at its best in this regard!
Despite its geographical location and infrastructure challenges, the country never looked back in adopting any new thing that adds to its progress and charisma at the international level.
Among various such areas, Nepal holds a special inclination to sports, and has been riding high on success in many national and international sports events.
While Cricket, Football and Volleyball have been some key sports interests of Nepal, there is one new sports trend that the world started talking about in case of Nepal i.e. ‘Golf’.
Here in this article, we will see how Nepal caught up the golf trend, which is today more than a sport and also the country’s most-popular tourism activity.
Golf History in Nepal: Pastureland to Top-notch Courses
The start of golf sport in Nepal dates back to the times of Rana rulers.
As the historians say, ministers in the Rana ruling introduced golf to Nepal by bringing along golf clubs and courses on their return from foreign nations like Scotland, a century ago.
Golf in Nepal took its actual form in 1917 when the then prime minister of the country had reportedly introduced golf clubs along with setting up a basic course.
Beginning with the pastureland for cows (the area where today’s Tribhuvan International Airport is at), the golf sport eventually matured to become the sport played in well-built golf courses.
However, the sport activity remained limited to the then Nepali elite families and expatriates for long until Royal Nepal Golf Club (RNGC) came up in 1965.
However, the sport went on to see many transformations with the growing interest among the locals.
Nepal saw its first real golf tournament Lava Cup in 1920 and marks the anniversary celebrations on September 02, every year.
No Turn Back
It did not take much time for golf in Nepal to become a professional sport that can draw huge sponsors.
The major breakthrough for golfing in Nepal came in 1993 with the launch of Surya Tobacco Company’s annual Surya Nepal Masters Open.
The tournament emerged as the first internationally-organized professional tournament with a hefty cash prize and has been a major attraction for professional and amateur golfers from many Asian and other nations.
The tournament went on to become a most-sought for Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), which has also been promoting golf and joined Surya Nepal Masters as its co-promoter for the event.
The tournament is currently played at the Gokarna Golf Course.
Golfing in Nepal
Today, many call ‘golfing in Nepal’ as one of the key memorable experiences.
Beginning with RNGC in 1965, the country went on to see the emergence of seven well-built golf courses with good standards, with three in Kathmandu (RNGC Course, Gokarna Forest Golf Resort and Tribhuvan Army Officers’ Golf Course), two in Pokhara (Yeti’s Golf Course in Fulbari Resort & Spa and Himalayan Golf Course), and one in Dharan (Nirvana Country Club).
Kathmandu RNGC Course: Developed in 1986 and currently owned by Royal Nepal Golf Club (RNGC), this is a 9-hole golf course with international standards located in Kathmandu.
Gokarna Forest Golf Course: A 72-course golf area with 18 holes located close to the heart of Kathmandu city, this course is considered as one of the finest golf courses in South Asia spread across an area of 470 acres in the well-preserved Gokarna Forest. More than a course, it gives a sanctuary experience.
Yeti’s Golf Course: Set in the backdrop of Seti River gorge, this 9-hole course is challenging for golfers of all levels: Amateurs and professionals.
Apart from these, the country also has one private golf course in the Chaudhary Industrial Village premises in Nawalparasi District with a good infrastructure set-up.
Golfing is one of the most expensive sports in Nepal. However, all the aforementioned golf courses maintain required amenities in line with the international standards and have a very high-quality equipment.
Love to visit? One can participate in any of the golfing events conducted in these courses on a regular basis. Besides, you can also learn from them by joining crash courses offered by them.
Nepal All Set for New Golf History
If one has to speak about golf in Nepal, the first name that appears to mind is Pratima Sherpa.
Popularly known as the Nepal’s top-rated golfer and the country’s aspiring first female professional golfer, Pratima earned a wide global recognition in her short career and is a now an active teenage golfer set to make major strides in the country’s golf history.
“Nepal is a smaller country than most and playing golf can be difficult for poor families like ours. But I’ve got a big opportunity to play golf and feel very proud and lucky that I’ve got that chance. I want to become a great golfer,” says Pratima.
Pratima rose to fame as a Nepali golfer nationally and internationally, and has also earned a huge local support.
“Fruits of labor are always sweet, so now I’ve been given the opportunity to play golf I am going to try my hardest,” says Pratima, who is relentlessly working to set a milestone in the Nepal’s golf history.
Let’s hope more such golf aspirants will rise to fame locally in Nepal making the country’s fame in golf sport to global!
Also Read:
- Nepal’s Growing Enthusiasm for Handball
- Nepal — A Growing Cricket Nation
- Swimming, A High-esteem Sport for Nepal
- Nepal’s Table Tennis Now International Treasure
- Naismith to Nepal—The Basketball Journey
- Nepal’s Taekwondo: Defense At its Best!
- Nepal Ice Hockey – Legacy in the Making
- Martial Arts- Nepal’s Foray into the Art of Self Defense
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