Shamim Khan emerges on top at Surya Nepal Masters
Overnight leader Angad Cheema settled for a share of the second place after a sublime 70 along with Chikkarangappa S who shot the day’s best of 7-under 65 for a two-day total of 10-under 134, one shot behind the leader.
R Murthy was fourth at eight-under for the tournament while Shankar Das and Mohamad Sanju shared the fifth position at 137. Sanjay Lama brought cheers to his home crowd after shooting a 2-under 70 and occupying the tied-seventh position along with Abhinav Lohan, Gaurav Ghei and Abhijit Singh Chadha.
As many as 50 professionals and two amateurs made the cut which went at a sharp 2-over 146. Amongst the other Nepali professionals, Shivaram Shrestha shared the 11th position with a total of 5-under 139 while Surya Prasad Sharma was tied for the 16th place with a total of 4-under 140. Bikash Bogati, a product of the Surya Nepal NGA Youth Development Programme, an initiative of Surya Nepal Khel Prayatan emerged as the top amateur with a total of level par 144 and was tied for the 30th position.
Shamim beginning from the 10th, made a steady start while making two birdies on tough par-5 15th and the par-4 17th to take the turn at 2-under. The genial professional then caught fire on the back nine where he made a hat-trick of birdies on the first three holes. A bogey on the sixth was nullified by a birdie on the seventh as he finished the day at 5-under.
Sanjay Lama fired six birdies (1st, 3rd, 7th, 12th, 13th & 16th) but unfortunately his card was dotted with four bogeys including two in a row on the finishing holes.
In what looks like to be a neck-to-neck fight, an exciting finish is surely on the cards.
Top scores (after 36 holes)
133 Shamim Khan (66, 67); 134 Angad Cheema (64, 70), Chikkarangappa S (69, 65); 136 R Murthy (69, 67); 137 Shankar Das (67, 70), Mohd. Sanju (71, 66); 138 Abhinav Lohan (69, 69), Gaurav Ghei (67, 71), Abhijit Singh Chadha (71, 67), Sanjay Lama (68, 70); 139 Shivaram Shrestha (67, 72), Samaresh Sardar (69, 70), Vinod Kumar (65, 74), Karan Taunk (67, 72), Feroz Ali Mollah (70, 69)
Other Nepali players
T-16 Pos 140 Surya Prasad Sharma (71, 69)
T-26 pos 143 Suman Rai (73, 70)
T-30 Pos 144 Umesh Nagarkoti (70, 74), Bikash Bogati (A) (69, 75)
Image: Wikimedia Commons
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