Kathmandu: Rabi Khadka moved into the lead after the second round of the Surya Nepal Kathmandu Open, the fourth event under the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2025–26, being held at the par-68 Royal Nepal Golf Club on Wednesday.

Rabi carded a 2-under 66 in the second round, taking his 36-hole total to 5-under 131. He now leads the tournament by two strokes over Rame Magar, who shot even-par 68 for a total of 3-under 133. Former top professional Bhuvan Nagarkoti climbed to third place at 2-under 134 after delivering an impressive 3-under 65 round.

Dinesh Prajapati and Sanjay Lama are tied for fourth place at 1-under 135. Dinesh carded a 1-under 67, while Sanjay posted an even-par 68. Pradip Kumar Lama holds sixth position at 1-over 137 after shooting 2-under 66. Jayram Shrestha slipped to seventh place at 2-over 138 following a 4-over 72 round.

Toran Bikram Shahi and Ramesh Adhikari share eighth place at 4-over 140. Toran carded 2-under 66 in the second round, while Ramesh shot even-par 68. Bhuwan Kumar Rokka stands tenth at 5-over 141 after carding 5-over 73 on the second day.

Round Highlights

Leader Rabi Khadka produced an impressive performance, carding 2-under 32 on the front nine and even-par 34 on the back nine. He began strongly with an eagle on the first hole and added birdies on the fifth, sixth, and eighth holes, despite dropping shots on the second, seventh, and ninth holes. After the turn, he recorded a birdie on the 10th hole and a bogey on the 11th.

Overnight co-leader Rame Magar carded 1-over 35 on the front nine, registering birdies on the first and fifth holes but dropping shots on the fourth, seventh, and ninth holes. He recovered with a 1-under 33 on the back nine, including birdies on the 12th and 16th holes.

Bhuvan Nagarkoti delivered a strong comeback round, producing a bogey-free 2-under 32 on the front nine with birdies on the opening two holes. He followed with birdies on the 12th and 13th holes before finishing with a bogey on the 18th for a 1-under 33 back nine.

Cut and Qualification

The cut was applied at 12-over 148, with 18 professional and eight amateur golfers advancing to the final two rounds. Professionals Kumar Kami, Nepal No. 1 Niraj Tamang, Dhana Bahadur Thapa, Deepak Magar, Tanka Bahadur Karki, Ram Krishna Shrestha, Suman Pariyar, and Krishna Man Rajbahak qualified for the next stage. Basanta Raj Gurung, despite posting the same score, missed the cut on countback.

Amateur Category

In the amateur section, Phuntsok Norbu Lama moved into the lead with a total score of 1-over 137 after carding 1-under 67 in the second round. He leads Rahul Bishwakarma by one stroke, with Rahul posting his second consecutive 1-over 69 for a total of 2-over 138. Mahendra Phagami is placed third at 3-over 139 after shooting 2-over 70. Amateur golfers Swapnil Bhattarai, Prakrit Tamang, Saroj Thapa, Kishor Basnet, and Prajwal Gurung also made the cut.

Tournament Overview

A total of 55 players, including 34 professionals and 21 amateurs, are participating in the 72-hole tournament organized by PGA Nepal under the sponsorship of Surya Nepal Pvt. Ltd.

The tournament carries a total prize purse of NPR 875,000. The winner will receive NPR 150,000, while the runner-up will earn NPR 105,000 and the third-place finisher will receive NPR 85,000. The fourth and fifth-place finishers will be awarded NPR 71,000 and NPR 63,000 respectively, with the remaining top 18 finishers also receiving prize money.

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