Indian golfers dominate Surya Nepal Masters

Speaking of international sporting events   held in Nepal, Surya Nepal Masters Golf Championship   instantly   hits   my mind.  Whether   you agree or   not ,  this is   one   great   spectacle   played   out before us   every year.

I understand   golf   is unappealing   to most in Nepal, however, the   local   golfing   fraternity  

is   doing what it takes to  promote and  develop the sport. Without a doubt golf has a long way  to go in terms of development and popularity in the Himalayan kingdom regardless of its immense international  popularity .

 The 2011 edition   of Surya  Nepal Masters Open is in the history book but I cannot resist myself from   turning back  the pages and pass my judgment to you.

Since   the  championship teed  off  more than a decade ago  it   has grown  in stature. I had the privilege to   write   a great   deal about  it.

 It all started from  the Royal  Nepal Golf course in Tilganga  located in the vicinity of Tribhuvan International airport  and  later moved to the  country’s first international standard   course in Gokarna  Forest  Golf  Resort.

The tournament has been a rousing success largely because of  Surya Nepal Private Limited  sponsorship  and unwavering  support ,coupled with  initiatives under taken by golf  aficionados.

This year’s whopping  cash prize amounting to Rs 4 million  is the largest ever in the   championship history. More importantly, the   event   was   co-sanctioned by Nepal Professional Golfer and Professional Golf Tour of India.

The tournament attracted  104 golfers from Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and  the United Arab Emirates. In the mix were  veterans, first timers and   budding golfers.  Prominent names like Feroze Ali, Vijay Kumar (  both  Indian Open champions) , Shamim  Khan ( Surya Masters  champion) and many more  made the event highly competitive.

Under the spotlight was no other than our own Shiva Ram Shrestha who  led the local charge.  A lot was expected  from the caddy  turned champion golfer who had/ has been playing consistent  and brilliant golf lately.

He was the best local bet  for the title.  Barring   Shrestha, in the fray were      emerging   stars Rupak   Acharya, Rabi Khadka, Mani Rai and veterans Deepak Thapa Magar and Ramesh Nagarkoti.

The only Nepali golfer to have won Surya Nepal Masters  is  veteran Magar who continues to play steady golf to this day. At the end of the day standing in the way of Shrestha were two equally talented golfers Rashid Khan (India) and Mithun Perera (Sri Lanka).

Twenty-year old Khan fifth on the current order of merit was unbeatable on the day to win the event. It was a perfect start to his   debut season as a professional. The youngster from Delhi played  flawless golf throughout to  finish ahead of   Perera on the final day.

 Shrestha did perform mightily well   but had to settle for third place . Indeed a   fantastic   result for him and   his supporters. If he continues to play the way he has   been, he stands a very good chance to win the event.

Going by the  top ten finishers  list Indian golfers  clearly  overshadowed the  event. Only one golfer each from Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh  figured in the list. The second best local performer was Magar who finished a creditable 12th.

The sad state of Nepali  golf has made  aspiring golfers  life increasingly challenging  and difficult. Whatever   some  of them have achieved in their career  small/big  is a result of   sheer hard work and  commitment.

Of course, we  want  our golfers to dazzle and  write  history  beyond the golf courses of Tilganga and Gokarna.  We do have tremendously gifted players amongst us, however, we  lack  adequate infrastructure  and   resources  to  groom them in the most desired and appropriate  manner.

Most of our active  players  cannot afford  to become  touring professionals   due to exorbitant   expenses and lack of sponsors. They have no choice but to concentrate on   domestic circuit, which is of limited help, especially when it comes to elevating the game to the next level.

Had   Surya Nepal Private Limited not embraced golf   in   a big way, the game   certainly would have been much worse off today. It is   because of their initiatives   that local golfers are able to play a handful of competitive tournaments and make some money.

Above all   Surya   Nepal  Masters   render  players  a  golden opportunity to  showcase  their golfing skills .  

Besides   a handful of    new courses in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Dharan, the landscape of golf   remains virtually unchanged over the last sixteen years. There has been a lot  of talk     about  the scope of golf tourism in  Nepal  and how the country  can  benefit financially.

Sadly   the government is yet to step up action to realize its golfing ambition. Should it   happen, it would  bring a whole new dimension to golf in Nepal.