Barring a catastrophic round on the final day on Thursday, Shivaram is all but sure of walking away with the champion’s trophy of the Surya Nepal Central Open at the par-72 Gokarna Golf Club.

The top-ranked Nepali pro opened up a massive 15-stroke lead over his nearest rival Surya Prasad Sharma on Wednesday after carding yet another sizzling six-under 66 in the third round. He finished his third round at 21-under 195 in the second event of the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2017-18. Sharma was a distant second at six-under 210 after ending the third day at two-over 74.

Sanjay Lama climbed to third with a total card of two-under 214 after a superb third round score of six-under 66. Bhuwan Nagarkoti shot one-under 71 for a total of even-par 216 and lie in fourth position. Shivaram’s elder brother Jayaram was next in fifth at two-over 218 after carding two-over 74 on Wednesday.

Magar brothers, Rame (70) and Deepak (75), were tied for sixth at three-over 219. Rame carded two-under 70 and Deepak shot three-over 75. Dhana Bahadur Thapa was in eighth with a total score of four-over 220 after shooting one-under 71 in the third round. Pashupati Sharma (71) and Bhu Bahadur Gurung (73) were tied for ninth with a total score of six-over 222.

In a show of pure class, the Nepal No 1 Shrestha carded a flawless four-under 32 in the front nine holes with birdies on the first and third to add to an eagle on the par-4 ninth. In his back nine, Shrestha sank birdies on the 12th, 13th, 14th and 18th holes against bogeys on the 15th and 16th for a two-under 34 score.

Sharma shot even-par 36 on the front nine with a birdie on the second and a bogey on the eighth hole. On the second nine, Sharma sank a birdie on the 12th but made a double-bogey on the 14th. He dropped a shot more on the 17th for a two-over 38 back nine score.

Lama shot made pars all the way to take the turn but the golfer was on fire on his way back to finish with a flourish. After an even-par 36 in the first nine, Lama fired six birdies on the 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 17th and 18th holes for a six-under 30 back nine score. Nagarkoti carded one-under 35 on the front nine with birdies on the third, fifth, and ninth against bogeys on the first and seventh. On the back nine, Nagarkoti earned shots on the 10th and 15th holes against a double bogey on the 14th for even-par 36 score.

For second successive day the amateur category saw Phuntshok Lama and Sunil KC share the lead at 14-over 230. Both Phuntshok and Sunil carded five-over 77. Subash Ghising was next in third at 23-over 239. Only 21 pros and six amateurs made the cut for the final 36 holes from the original 42-member field: 32 pros and 10 amateurs. 

The tournament offers a total of Rs 630,000 in prize money with the champion taking home Rs 115,000. The runner-up will earn Rs 74,000 and the third-placed golfer will receive Rs 53,000. Other pros to make the cut will also get their share of cash rewards.