Top ranked golfer Shivaram Shrestha, Sanjay Lama, Rame Magar, Rabi Khadka, Surya Sharma, Deepak Thapa Magar, Bhuwan Nagarkoti  and Dhana Thapa made it to the quarter-finals of the Surya Nepal NPGA Match Play at the Royal Nepal Golf Club (RNGC) here on Tuesday.

The RNGC pro and the Nepal No 1 golfer Shrestha beat Sanjeev Nepali of Himalayan Golf Course 7&5. Defending champion Rabi Khadka, also of RNGC, saw off Pashupati Sharma 6&5, while Rame Magar edged past Ramesh Adhikari 3&2. Surya Sharma outplayed Dinesh Prajapati 8&6. Deepak Thapa Magar pipped Jayaram Shrestha on the seventh extra hole after they were tied at the end of regular 18 holes.

The match between Nagarkoti brothers—Bhuwan and Ramesh—was also decided through extra holes after tying at the 18 holes of regulation play. Bhuwan beat Ramesh on the second extra hole. In other first round matches, Army Club pro Dhana Thapa overcame Bal Bhadra Rai  3&2 and second ranked pro Sanjay Lama defeated Yelamber Adhikari 3&2.

Shrestha will take on Rame Magar, Khadka will play Surya Sharma, Thapa Magar is up against Bhuwan and Dhana Thapa will pay against Lama in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. The semi-finals are also slated for Wednesday. The final and the third-place playoff will be played on Thursday. The final will be played over 36 holes.

Sixteen top ranked professional golfers are taking part in the tournament, the sixth event held under the Surya Nepal Golf Tour 2015-16. Top four golfers will earn Rs 50,000, Rs 30,000, Rs 22,000 and Rs 18,000 respectively. The losing quarter-finalists will also get Rs 10,000 each, while the first-round losers will get Rs 5,000 each.