LAHORE: Leading national player Shabbir Iqbal posted an excellent seven-under-par-65 card to steal the show on the first day of the sixth J.A. Zaman Memorial Open Golf Champio­nships’ pro event here at Lahore Gymkhana on Friday.

Among 100 professionals, Shabbir of Islamabad stood tall with his fine flow of play with phenomenal and amazing command over his shot making and this is reflected in his score of gross 65, seven under par.

In the course of the first round, Shabbir had eight birdies, nine pars,and just one bogey on the 12th hole and that speaks about the rich round he had played. Another outstanding feature was that he scored three successive birdies on the last three holes — 16th ,17th and 18th — to play impressive Under-7 round.

At the second position is Mohammad Naeem, who is five strokes away to finish the round at 70. Naeem of Peshawar made his presence felt and looks like a potential rival for other in future. Out of the professional aspirants, the one who injected a touch of freshness was Mohammad Rehman of Royal Palm. In his first appearance after becoming a golf professional, he emerged convincingly and is placed in third position behind Shabbir and Naeem.

Other competitors following these three are Mohammed Shahzad (Garrison), Amjad Yousuf (Karachi) and Danyaal Jehangir (Lahore Gymkhana), who are bracketed at 72. At 73, Usman Ali (Garrison), Akber Mehroz (Gymkhana), Mohammed Akhter (Islamabad), Sajid Khan (Islamabad), Dilshad Ali (Karachi) and Waheed Baloch (Karachi) were in the race.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2019

Opinion

Editorial

‘Source of terror’
Updated 29 Mar, 2024

‘Source of terror’

It is clear that going after militant groups inside Afghanistan unilaterally presents its own set of difficulties.
Chipping in
29 Mar, 2024

Chipping in

FEDERAL infrastructure development schemes are located in the provinces. Most such projects — for instance,...
Toxic emitters
29 Mar, 2024

Toxic emitters

IT is concerning to note that dozens of industries have been violating environmental laws in and around Islamabad....
Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...