Shiva Ram Shrestha and Bhuwan Nagarkoti set the title showdown after advancing into the final of the Surya Nepal NPGA Match Play golf tournament at the par-68 Royal Nepal Golf Club (RNGC) on Wednesday.

Nepal No 1 Shrestha took out No 5 Surya Prasad Sharma 1-up in the semi-final of the fifth event under the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2017-18. The RNGC pro lost the first two holes but bounced back to take one-up lead at the end of first nine holes. He extended the lead to two holes after hole-in-one on the par-3 14th. Sharma, however, fought back to win the next two holes to level the scores. Shrestha then won the 16th hole with a tap-in for a birdie before halving the final hole to enter the final. 

If Shrestha lifts the trophy on Thursday, it will be his 40th career title having already won three of the four previous tour events of the season. Shrestha had already won the Ghana Shyam’s Professional Golden Jubilee Championship in October, Central Open in November and Eastern Open the last month.

In another semi-final match, third-ranked Nagarkoti beat seventh-ranked Rame Magar 3&1. The final will be played over 36 holes, while the third-place playoff will be an 18-hole affair on Thursday.

Earlier in the quarter-final matches, Shrestha got the better of his brother Jayaram 5&3, while Sharma defeated defending champion Rabi Khadka 3&1. Nagarkoti registered a 5&4 win over Yelamber Singh Adhikari, while Rame Magar saw off Sanjay Lama in the third extra hole after they were deadlocked in the regulation 18 holes of play.

Top 16 players in the Order of Merit of the previous season are taking part in the three-day tournament organised by Nepal Professional Golfers Association. The tournament offers Rs 250,000 in total prize money with the winner receiving Rs 70,000, the runner-up taking home Rs 40,000. The third-placed golfer will earn Rs 28,000 and the fourth with get Rs 20,000. Losing quarter-finalists will also get Rs 11,000 each with the first round losers getting Rs 6,000 each.