Shrestha triumphs

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Shivaram Shrestha

Top Nepalese golfer Shivaram Shrestha scripted a memorable win in a dramatic final round to edge out defending champion Abhijit Singh Chadha in the Surya Nepal Masters at the Gokarna Forest Golf Resort in Kathmandu on Saturday.

Shrestha was trailing Chadha by three shots overnight but rose to the occasion with a 5-under 67 on the final day finishing tied with the latter at 18-under 270 and pushing the title decision into a play-off. Shrestha emerged on top in the first play-off hole (18th) with a birdie. Shrestha’s win made him the second professional golfer from the Himalayan kingdom after Deepak Thapa Magar (2007 winner) to win the biggest golf tournament in Nepal.
Asian Tour star Anirban Lahiri made a brilliant charge but faltered on the final hole to finish third at 17-under. Mukesh Kumar and Ajeetesh Sandhu were tied fourth at 274. Rahul Bajal and Mohammed Dulal Hossain shared the sixth position at 276.
Earlier, it all boiled down to the last nine holes as it turned out to be a three-man fight for honours after Mukesh Kumar, who was on fire with a score of 6-under after 12 holes, lost steam and was three shots off the pace.
In a see-saw battle, Lahiri fired six birdies on his front nine to catch up with leader Chadha, who dropped a shot on the par-3 eighth. Shrestha, meanwhile, kept up with the top two carding five birdies on his front nine and saved a brilliant par on the par-3 10th hole. With birdies on the 12th and 13th holes, Lahiri went up a stroke ahead of Shrestha.
However, a double bogey on the next hole by Lahiri and a bogey by Shrestha on the 12th hole put them on par at 18-under along with Chadha who was content with carding pars. Lahiri was back in the lead with a birdie on the 15th hole but with consecutive bogeys on the par-3 16th and par-4 17th holes put him out of contention.
Chadha with a birdie on the 15th hole went one shot ahead of the field but lost the advantage after losing a shot on the par-4 17th hole to be tied with Shrestha, who played steady making pars.
On the final hole of regulation play, Chadha hit a tentative second shot and ended up with a par with a testing putt. Shrestha missed a birdie putt from five feet which could have fetched him the title and ended with a par which forced the match to go into a play-off.