31 July 2004	Saturday	13 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

LAHORE, July 30: The 6th Saarc golf championship, which is being held for the first time in Pakistan and is also the first major event at the newly built Royal Palm Golf and Country Club had to be abandoned due to a heavy downpour on the first day on Friday.

All six of the participating teams - Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan - had completed the first seven holes when rain started. It rained heavily and soon the bunkers turned into pools of water, making any further play impossible. The rain also hit the greens and the fairways, making them unplayable.

The organizers decided to cancel the proceedings of the first seven holes, changed the format of the championship and decided to hold competition over 27 holes on Saturday, instead of over 18 to get best two teams for the playoff to be played on Sunday.

"Although the 27-hole competition is tough, yet it is more suitable way to select the best two teams for the final and make up for the loss of the entire first day," the Pakistan Golf Federation secretary Iftikhar Khan told Dawn.

He said that an 18-hole competition was not enough to select the best two teams for the finals. The remaining four teams would contest for the third position on Sunday, he said.

When play was called off, the hot favourite Sri Lankan team comprising Lalith Kumara, Tissa Chandradasa and Prabagran was leading with two-under-par-26. The Bangladesh team of Mohammad Siddikur Rahman, Mohammad Milon Ahmed and Mohammad Shakhawat Hossain, proved a dark horse and they were only one-stroke away from the leaders.

The Pakistan team with Dr Aimal Zaman, Shahid Javed Khan and Vaqas Ahmed was at par-28. Surprisingly, the Indian team, the champions of all the five editions of the event, with Manav Das, Jaskirat Singh and Simarjeet Singh were struggling at the fourth position with two-over-par-30.

Dr Aimal, later, told newsmen that after the rain he was not in a position to predict the winner and the chances of his own side. "We have a fair chance to become one of the finalists in the previous format, but now after the revised format it is very difficult to say anything," he said.

Dr Aimal was of the view that after rain, the Pakistan had lost the home course advantage because it would be same for all. "The course is somewhat muddy and hitting the ball and its rolling will be slow on Saturday and it will not favour any team," he said.

"This will be a test of physical and mental fitness of the golfers and I believe our boys are mentally prepared to cope with the conditions, despite having to play an extra game of nine holes which we have never played before," he said.

He did not see any big difference of skill and technique among the players of the four top teams of the competition - Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

He said that the Sri Lankans were the real threat for Pakistan and not the Indians as Pakistan had beaten a much better Indian team, as compared to the present one, in the Pakistan's national golf championship held in Karachi earlier this year.

The two-day ladies event is also scheduled to begin from Saturday, in which teams from India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are contesting.