Shivaram Shrestha lived up to his top ranking to clinched the Ghana Shyam’s Professional Golden Jubilee Golf Championship at the par-68 Royal Nepal Golf Club (RNGC) on Thursday.

Shivaram came up with his worst card of the event and yet it was enough for the RNGC pro to record a whopping seven-stroke win over his nearest rival Jayaram Shrestha. After shooting an identical five-under 63 in the first three rounds, Shivaram carded three-over 71 on Thursday for a total of 12-under 260. His elder brother Jayaram carded two-over 70 for a total of five-under 267. It was his 37th career title and earned him Rs 85,000. 

Bhuvan Nagarkoti finished third at 268 after shooting three-over 71 in the fourth and final round. Sanjay Lama ended up in fourth at 271 after carding one-under 67 while Dinesh Prajapati finished in fifth at 272 after shooting one-over 69. Rame Magar (72) rounded up in sixth at 273, Surya Prasad Sharma (73) in seventh at 275 and Deepak Magar (69) in eighth at 276. Rabi Khadka (72) was ninth at 282 and Dhana Bahadur Thapa (71) in 10th at 284.

Shivaram carded three-over 37 on the front nine to add to the even-par 34 on the back nine. He sank a birdie on the first hole and dropped shots on the second and fourth. He had a double bogey on the third. On the back nine, Shivaram had yet another bogey on the 12th but earned a shot on the very next hole. 

Jayaram carded one-over 35 on either halves. He shot a lone birdie on the fourth and dropped shots on the first, eighth and 12th. He earned Rs 58,000. The first round leader Nagarkoti carded two-over 36 and one-over 35 in each half. Nagarkoti had birdies on the first and fourth holes against bogeys on the second, eighth and 13th. He also had a double bogey on the sixth.

Prithivi Malla claimed the amateur category title on countback after finishing tied on 22-over 292 with Mithun Rai. Malla shot five-over 39 on the front nine and three-under 31 on the back nine. Rai carded 39 in the first nine and 41 in the second nine holes. In all, 32 pros and seven amateur golfers took part in the Rs 500,000 tournament sponsored by Nepal’s first professional golfer Ghana Shyam Thapa to mark his 50 years in professional golf.