LAHORE: Shahzad Ali posted a card of 71 against his first-day score of 68 but maintained the top spot on the second day of the inaugural President Open Golf Championship here at the PAF Skyview Golf Course on Tuesday.

On the first day, Lahore Garrison’s Shahzad was the joint leader with Waheed Baloch of Karachi Gymkhana but on Tuesday, the penultimate day of the event, the former registered a card of one-under-par 71 to earn a two-day aggregate of 139.

Seasoned campaigner Mohammad Shabbir Iqbal and Mohammad Naeem are chasing him closely with only one-stroke difference.

Shabbir on the first day played the round of 71, and on Tuesday returned with a card of 69 to get an aggregate of 140. Naeem of Peshawar holds the same aggregate after claiming cards of 66 and 74.

Among the other participants, Mohammad Zubair (Karachi Golf Club) and Mohammad Asif (Defence Raya) are bracketed at 143.

Usman Ali, Kashif Masih (both Lahore Garrison), Abdul Zahoor (Multan), Jafal Hussain (Gymkhana) and Waheed are together at 144 while Minhaj Maqsood, Mohammad Naqas, Mohammad Alam, Mohammad Saqib, Mudassir Iqbal and Shahid Javed Khan are at 145.

In the senior professionals section, PAF’s Nisar Hussain was leading. He was followed by Mohammed Akram (Gymkhana), Mohammed Akhter and Mohammad Tariq (Islamabad), Tahir Naseem (Gymkhana), Tariq Mehmood (Margalla Greens), Naseer Khan (Peshawar) and Manzoor Ahmed (Gymkhana).

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2023