August 10, 2006	Thursday	Rajab 14, 1427

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KARACHI, Aug 9: Leading Pakistan golfer Shabbir Iqbal has called for an enhanced prize money for all the Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF) tournaments to make them more attractive for the professionals.

“The sponsors should follow the precedent set by the Navy which crossed the one million rupees barrier at the CNS Open three years back,” he told Dawn.

Shabbir, 30, sounded confident that a substantial increase in the prize money would infuse new spirit among the professional golfers.

Serving in Navy as FCPO, the three-time winner of CNS Open said that the PGF should sponsor pros for playing the Asian Tour.

“Featuring in the Asian Tour alongside foreigners will go a long way in promoting the game in Pakistan,” he said.

Shabbir, who is ranked second in the current PGF rankings, proved his mettle when he qualified for the Asian Tour from Malaysia in December last by finishing among the top 10.

No less than 600 pros from the region appeared in the contest held at the Malaysian qualifying school.

The dashing golfer is set to appear in the Asian Tour, the first leg of which will be played in China, followed by Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore.