KARACHI: When Matloob Ahmed birdied the 10th hole here at the Karachi Golf Course (KGC) on Saturday, he looked to be making serene progress towards the Rashid D. Habib Memorial National Professional Golf Championship title. On the very same hole, his closest rival Hamza Amin had bogeyed and Matloob had opened up a four-shot lead overall.

To make it a contest in the final day, moreover to give himself a shot at the title in the final round, Hamza had to use all his powers of recovery. He also needed Matloob to slip-up. Hamza hit back, Matloob faltered. And it’s set up an intriguing final round of golf on Sunday.

“It’s anybody’s game at the moment,” Matloob told Dawn after ending Saturday’s third round with a one-shot lead over Hamza. “It isn’t a big lead and I’ll need to be at my best tomorrow.”

Matloob was very much in pole position when he hit a birdie on the 14th hole, where Hamza followed suit. The tide turned on the very next hole. Matloob bogeyed to give Hamza an opening. Hamza birdied and then went on to hit another birdie on the penultimate hole for a third-round 68 that gave him an aggregate of 12-under 204. Matloob’s 69 sees him in the lead at 203.

“It’s the third time over the last three days I’ve bogeyed the 15th,” lamented Matloob. “I’ve tried to find the right balance for the tee shot but it hasn’t worked. I can’t afford another error there tomorrow.”

He was also all praise for Hamza. “He has been playing really well in this neck-and-neck contest,” said Matloob. “He got back really well today.”

Hamza had also started well, hitting the birdie on the second hole to up the ante. Matloob responded by sinking birdies on the fourth, fifth and seventh holes but come unstuck at the eighth where he bogeyed and Hamza birdied.

It’s been that sort of a contest so far between the duo. Matloob got a one shot lead on the opening day, which he stretched to two after the second round. It’s been slashed back to one now and one bad shot by either of them could be the difference at the end.

Beyond the leaders, six shots off the pace on 209 are two-time defending champion Shabbir Iqbal (69) and Mohammad Naeem, who played the day’s best round of 67. Shabbir struck five birdies and had one bogey while Naeem hit five birdies in a bogey-free round.

Ansar Mahmood is a further shot adrift after posting a 69 while Waheed Baloch (72) and Amjad Yousuf (72) are two golfers on 211. Kamran Shafiq is a further two shots behind after striking a 70.

Mohammad Munir is one of three golfers on 214 after he shot a 69 alongside Mohammad Nazir (69) and Mohammad Alam (73). Mohammad Ashfaq’s round of 72 saw him end the third round on 215 while Usman Ali’s 70 meant he has an even-par 216 heading into the final round.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2019