KARACHI: The Arabian Sea Country Club in the outskirts of the city is bustling with festivity as the Faysal Bank 16th Sindh Open Golf Championship — an annual event of the Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF) calendar — tees off on Friday with a galaxy of players from across the country vying for honours.

The first flight tees off at 7am.

To be played over 54-holes, the three-day event carries whooping prize money of two million rupees this year. According to the break-up, a sum of Rs1.5 million has been set aside for pros while the remaining Rs500,000 will be distributed among top senior pros.

Top pros of the country including former champion Mohammad Shabbir Iqbal, Mohammad Munir, Imdad Hussain, Waheed Baloch, Mohammad Siddique and Matloob Ahmed to name a few are among 200 participants who will make their presence felt on the course which has become lush green after showers in the city.

Shabbir had recently won the 19th CNS Open title.

Prominent amateurs who are likely to contest for the crown are Waseem Rana, Ali Hai, Ghazanfar Mahmood, Sajid Khan and Zohaib Asif.

Mohammad Siddique of Faisalabad will defend his crown in the pros. He beat ace golfer Shabbir Iqbal by two strokes to win the title at the same venue last year.

As far as amateur category is concerned, Salman Jehangir of Gymkhana captured the elusive title defeating holder Ghazanfar Mahmood of Rawalpindi in the playoff last year.

Besides pros, senior pros and amateurs, junior and ladies events are also part of the event. The veteran’s are likely to play in an invitational match on the concluding day.

Top professional golfers, who are also staying at the premises, had a training session on Wednesday. The course was closed for maintenance on Thursday.

The Sindh Open and ASCC are synonymous and the credit goes to Arif Ali Khan Abbasi, who as chief executive of the club, has left no stone unturned in getting the ball rolling.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2014