Nepal golfer Subhash Tamang makes history with All India Amateur title

Nepal’s Subhash Tamang became the first from his country to win the All-India Amateur Championship, the oldest national championship in the world outside the United Kingdon
Tamang’s parents are brick-makers at a remote village in the Kathmandu Valley and he began his golf journey as a ballboy at the Royal Nepal Golf Club
In the 36-hole final of the All-India Amateurs, Tamang overwhelmed India’s Rohit Narwal by a massive 9&7 margin at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club

A little bit of sub-continental golf history was made recently when young Subhash Tamang became the first golfer from Nepal to win the 122nd edition of the prestigious All India Amateur Championships run by the Indian Golf Union at the iconic Royal Calcutta Golf Club.

At the All-India Amateurs final, he beat India’s Rohit Narwal by a convincing 9&7 margin after the two were neck and neck for the early part of the match at the RCGC.

By the end of the first 18 holes in the 36-hole match, Tamang led 3-up and closed out the final with a nine-hole lead with seven left to play.

The flagship event of the Indian Golf Union which runs the world’s oldest amateur golf tournament outside of Britain, the All-India Amateur was first held over 36 holes as a stroke-play event to cut the field down to the final 32 who then went into the match play section.

Tamang was fourth in the stroke-play and over the week he met and beat a formidable set of opponents. He faced the toughest challenge early, in the first round itself, when he was taken to extra holes and won on the 19th hole against Kanav Chauhan.

Tamang then got the better of Vishesh Sharma in the pre-quarter finals and Dhruv Suri in the quarters by identical 4&3 margins and then South African Altin Van Der Merwe 3&1 in the semi-finals.

“It is the happiest moment of my life,” said the shy Tamang afterwards.

In the stroke play team event, South Africa topped the team event with Van Der Merwe and Jordan Clay Burnand leading the way. The two South Africans lost out in the semi-finals, as Tamang beat Van der Merwe and Narwal knocked out Burnand. India A with Sandeep Yadav and Narwal were second and India B comprising Vinamra Anand and Shaurya Bhattacharya third.