Even though the weather in Pokhara had opened up since Wednesday morning, the Himalayan golf course was getting hot and humid. Because of this, the tee-off could not take place. However, when the weather cleared about an hour and a half after the scheduled time, the golfers were ready to compete in the Surya Nepal Western Open with the breathtaking view of Machhapuchhre Himal.

Neeraj Tamang took a two-stroke lead on the first day of the fourth tournament under Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2024-25 organized by Nepal Professional Golfers Association. With a score of 4 under 65, he is 2 strokes behind Yuvraj Bhujel and Bhuvan Kumar Rocca. Yuvraj and Bhuvan with 2-under 67 scores are joint second.

Dhan Bahadur Thapa and Sanjay Lama finished the day at 1-under 68. They are joint fourth. Rame Magar and Jairam Shrestha were joint sixth. They finished the match at even-par 69. Pradeep Kumar Lama and amateur Sundar Rai completed the match with 1 over 70 and occupied the joint eighth position on the first day. Bishnu Prasad Sharma and amateur Suresh Tamang finished in 10th position. They played 2 over 71.

Neeraj, who won the Eastern Open, had a good start in Pokhara as well. He played a bogey-free front nine. Birdies on the third and fourth holes finished the front nine at 2 under 32. After this, he lost a shot on the 15th hole, but birdies on the 10th, 13th and 16th holes finished the back nine at 2-under 33.

Yuvraj, another pro from Dharan, scored 1 under 33 on the front nine. Birdie success on the second and third holes. Double bogeyed the fifth hole. After this, he saved 1-1 shots in the eighth and ninth holes. He finished the back nine in 1-under 34. He hit three consecutive birdies from the 13th to the 15th hole. But he wasted his shots on the 10th and 18th holes.

Bhuvan finished the front nine at 2 under 32 with the help of birdies on the third and fifth holes. After this, he made a double bogey on the 11th hole. Birdies on the 16th and 17th holes finished the back nine at even-par 35. On the amateur side, Sundar Rai is at the top with 1 over 70. He beat Suresh Tamang by one stroke. Suresh scored 2 over 71 on the first day.