Niraj Tamang Successfully Defends Sun Nepal NPGA Match Play Championship Title
Summary
- In the sixth event of the Sun Nepal Golf Tour 2025-26, Niraj Tamang successfully defended his title, earning his fifth career championship.
- Niraj defeated the 10th seed Tank Bahadur Karki 3/2 in the final, earning a cash prize of NPR 100,000.
- The tournament featured the top 16 players, with a total prize fund of NPR 425,000.
April 17, Kathmandu – Former champion Niraj Tamang successfully defended his title at the Sun Nepal NPGA Match Play, the sixth event of the Sun Nepal Golf Tour 2025-26. This marks his fifth career title.
Claiming the championship for the second consecutive time, Nepal’s number one golfer, Niraj, defeated the 10th seed Tank Bahadur Karki by 3/2 in the final match. This was his second title of the current season, along with a cash prize of NPR 100,000.
The 36-hole final was held at the Royal Nepal Golf Club, where Tank was never able to surpass Niraj. After the ninth hole, Niraj held a two-hole lead, which extended to a clear five-hole advantage by the 18th hole.
Although Tank won the 20th hole to reduce the deficit to four holes, Niraj responded with an eagle on the 22nd hole to restore a five-hole lead.
Tank won the 23rd, 24th, and 25th holes, narrowing the gap to two holes, but Niraj clinched the 33rd hole and halved the 34th hole to secure the title by 3/2.
Tank Bahadur Karki, despite his efforts, was unable to claim his first professional title and earned NPR 75,000 as the runner-up. Ravi Khadka, seeded sixth, secured third place by defeating fourth seed Sanjay Lama 3/1. They received NPR 56,000 and NPR 42,000 respectively.
The winners were presented with their awards by Vidurraj Adhikari, Brand Manager of Surya Nepal Pvt. Ltd., Tashi Ghale, President of the Nepal Golf Association, and Roshan Rai, Treasurer of the Royal Nepal Golf Club.
The competition, which extended over three days, included the top 16 players from the Order of Merit of the Sun Nepal Golf Tour 2024-25 season. The total prize fund was NPR 425,000.
The four quarterfinalists – Rame Magar, Jayaram Shrestha, Dinesh Prajapati, and Bhuvan Nagarkoti – each received NPR 18,000. Players eliminated in the first round, including Surya Prasad Sharma, Bhuvan Kumar Rokka, Ramesh Adhikari, Deepak Magar, Balbhadra Rai, Dhan Bahadur Thapa, and Krishnaman Rajbahak, were awarded NPR 10,000 each.