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KARACHI, Feb 18: The 43rd Amateur Golf Championship of Pakistan sponsored by Mobilink starts today at Arabian Sea Country Club (ASCC) with golfers from Bangladesh, India, Iran and Sri Lanka battling for honours.
Some of region's best golfers will be competing in the four-day 72 holes championship. The final round to be played on Sunday. The star attractions are Indians who will be taking part in Pakistan after absence of seven years.
Indians Manav Das, Vikrant Chopra, Harinder Gupta and captain Jaideep Ganpatrao Patwardhan, Lalith Kumara of Sri Lanka with Pakistan's defending champion Shahid Javed Khan, Vaqas Ahmed and Tariq Mahmood are the likely front runners.
Besides the main amateur event ladies, junior and seniors amateur championship events will also be held. The junior event will be played in two categories, between 15-17 years and 13-14 years.
Seniors competition (over-55) is being included for the first time in the championship. The International Team Match to be played over 36 holes will be held on Feb 19-20 and 18-hole competition for President J. R. Jayewardene Trophy between Sri Lanka and Pakistan on Feb 21.
The India captain Jaideep Patwardhan described the ASCC as one of the best courses in Asia while Manav Das said they had strenuous training session and declared course, fairways and greens splendid.
Details of the event were announced at a news conference addressed by the secretary, Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF), Wng. Cdr (Retd) Iftikhar Hussain, Tournament Director and secretary Sindh Golf Association (SGA), Asad I.Khan, representatives of sponsors Mubashir Naqvi and Tariq Raz of ASCC.
PGF secretary said Nepal and Thailand were also to take part but they pulled out after they were informed that they have to arrange their own air passage. Rs1.5 million will be spent on staging the event which includes free boarding and lodging to all foreign teams.
Teams:
PAKISTAN: Dr.Aimal Zaman (captain), Tariq Mehmood, Vaqas Ahmed, Shahid Javed Khan.
BANGLADESH: Sadiq M.Mutial Quddus, M.Siddik-ur-Rahman, M.Milon Ahmad. M.Sakhawat Hussan Sohel. Shahid Hasan Salim (manager).
SRI LANKA: Lalith Kumara, Amara Pathna, Tissa Chandradasa, K.Prabagran (seniors), Amrith De Soysa, Mithun Perera, Biupa Wijerighe, Sanjaya Wettamuni (Juniors). Arshad Khan (manager).
IRAN: Davoud Osati Ashtiani, Hasan Karimian Hoshahr. Raza Naddaafpour (manager)
INDIA: Jaideep Ganpatrao Patwardhan (Captain), Manava Das, Vikrant Chopra, Harinder Gupta.
PPI ADDS: Indian golfers who are here to participate in the 43rd National Golf Championship starting from Thursday said on Wednesday that they were quite satisfied with the security arrangements done for them and on their return to home they will encourage the Indian cricketers to tour Karachi like any other city in the world.
Talking to media men Indian team captain Jaideep Patwardhan said that their smooth tour will encourage the other Indian sportsmen to come to the city. Harinder said that people take cricket in both the countries like religion and they were quite sensitive in this respect but admitted that it was easy to arrange security for golfers as there were not many spectators in golf events.
He said that they were enjoying their stay here and this event will certainly help the cricket kingpins of India in making their decisions about the venues.
