Jan 11, 2019: Subash Tamang’s stock continued to rise with a wire-to-wire victory in the seventh edition of the CMS Faldo Series Nepal Championship.
Widely regarded as the South Asian country’s brightest male teenage golfing prospect, Subash barely played a false stroke in the 13th leg of the 2018-19 Faldo Series Asia season at Gokarna Forest Golf Resort.
Fast out of the blocks with rounds of 71 and 66, Subash spread-eagled the field, opening up a nine-shot advantage heading into the final day.
It was a lead that never came under threat as he coasted home at the Gokarna course, situated inside the serene Gokarna Protected Forest, just 10 kilometres from Kathmandu city and Tribhuvan International Airport.
Signing off with a 74, Subash posted a 54-hole aggregate of five-under-par 211 – five strokes in front of overall runner-up Sukra Bahadur Rai, who was chasing a third successive Faldo Series Nepal Championship title.
A clear indication of the progress Subash is making came from the fact that his winning total was no fewer than 21 strokes better than his score in the same event 12 months earlier.
Deepak Acharya, Senior Golf Director at Gokarna Forest Resort, said: “Subash has only been playing the game for the last four years, but he has huge potential.
“Although he hits his driver 240 yards, he is very accurate off the tee and he’s extremely sharp from within 100 yards of the green.”
As well as boosting his selection prospects for the Nepalese golf team in this year’s South Asia Games at Gokarna Forest, Subash will now have the chance to show off those attributes in the 13th Faldo Series Asia Grand Final, to be hosted by six-time Major champion Sir Nick Faldo at Laguna L?ng Cô in Danang, Central Vietnam in March.
As winner of the Boys’ Under-21 category, Rai has earned himself a return trip to Vietnam where he’ll be aiming to improve on his fifth-place finish in last year’s Faldo Series Asia Grand Final.
Rai, who represented his country in the Asian Games and at the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship in 2018, left himself with too much to do at Gokarna Forest after an uncharacteristically sluggish opening round of 74.
In the absence of Pratima Sherpa, now at college in America, Kashmira Shah scooped top place in the Girls’ Division. Her total of 261 was six shots better than last year when she was a distant second to Sherpa. However, it did not meet the scoring levels required to qualify for the Grand Final.
Organised by the Nepal Golf Association (NGA) and Gokarna Forest Resort, the Faldo Series Nepal Championship was sponsored by ISME Pvt Ltd. Making the presentations at the prize-giving ceremony were NGA President Tashi Ghale and senior golfer Min Bahadur Raut.
The 2018-19 Faldo Series Asia season is supported by The R&A and endorsed by the Asian Tour and the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation. The International Junior Golf Academy is a partner of the Faldo Series.
As well as two events in China and Thailand, championships are being staged in Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Chinese-Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.
Recognised as the only global amateur series for boys and girls, the Faldo Series was established in 1996, expanding to Asia in 2006.
Today, 40 Faldo Series tournaments take place in 30-plus countries worldwide, touching more than 7,000 golfers each year. Past champions include Tseng Ya-ni and Rory McIlroy, both multiple Major winners, while Thidapa Suwannapura (2010 Faldo Series Asia Grand Final Girls’ champion) and Nasa Hataoka (2016 Faldo Series Asia Grand Final Girls’ champion) both won on the LPGA Tour last year.
Faldo Series Nepal Championship, leading final scores: Boys’ Under-21: 216 – Sukra Bahadur Rai (74-72-70). 238 – BK Rahul (83-80-75). 239 – Suman Pariyar (84-77-78). 241 – Bipin Tamang (80-80-81). 247 – Suman Nepal (81-85-81). Boys’ Under-16: 211 – Subash Tamang (71-66-74). 223 – Sam Doublard (79-69-75). 226 – Binod Tamang (76-76-74). Girls’ Under-21: 261 – Kashmira Shah (89-87-85). 275 – Prativa Rai (85-93-97).
Source: The R&A
