Kathmandu: Dinesh Prajapati carded an impressive 6-under 62 to take a two-shot lead after the opening round of the Surya Nepal Challenge, the seventh event under the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2025-26, being played at Royal Nepal Golf Club on Tuesday.

Dinesh stayed ahead of professional golfer Bhuwan Kumar Rokka and amateur Swapnil Bhattarai, who both carded 4-under 64. Sanjay Lama and Rame Magar shared fourth place at 3-under 65, while Bhuvan Nagarkoti and Sukra Bahadur Rai were tied for sixth at 2-under 66.

Professionals Deepak Magar and Tanka Bahadur Karki, along with amateur Balaram Poudel, were tied for eighth position at 1-under 67.

Dinesh made a strong start with birdies on the first and second holes before dropping a shot on the fifth. He added another birdie on the ninth to make the turn at 2-under 32. On the back nine, he fired five birdies on the 10th, 13th, 14th, 16th and 17th holes against a lone bogey on the 12th for a superb 4-under 30.

Bhuwan Kumar Rokka turned in 4-under 30 after a front nine that included birdies on the first, fourth, fifth, sixth and ninth holes, with his only bogey coming on the third. He played steady golf on the back nine, carding pars on all nine holes for an even-par 34.

Amateur Swapnil Bhattarai remained the top amateur after carding 4-under 64. He made an eagle on the second hole and a birdie on the ninth for a 3-under 31 front nine. Despite a bogey on the 12th, he recovered with birdies on the 13th and 17th holes to close with 1-under 33 on the back nine.

In the amateur section, Swapnil leads by three strokes over Balaram Poudel, while Rahul Bishwakarma sits third after an even-par 68.

A total of 52 golfers; including 39 professionals and 13 amateurs, are competing in the 72-hole tournament organized by PGA Nepal under the sponsorship of Surya Nepal Pvt. Ltd..

The cut will be applied after 36 holes, with the top 18 professionals and amateurs making the pro cut advancing to the final two rounds.

The tournament carries a total cash purse of Rs. 710,000. The winner will receive Rs. 130,000, while the runner-up and third-place finisher will earn Rs. 90,000 and Rs. 70,000 respectively. The fourth and fifth positions will receive Rs. 55,000 and Rs. 46,000 respectively, while professionals finishing within the top 18 will also receive cash prizes.

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