KARACHI: The Chief of Naval Staff Open Golf Championship tees off here at the Karachi Golf Course from Wednesday with over 600 players from across the country taking part.

Shabbir Iqbal is the two-time defending champion heading into the 27th edition of the tournament while Ahmed Baig heads into the event on the back of a rousing victory at last week’s Pakistan Open.

At a news conference on Tuesday, Commander Karachi Rear Admiral Muhammad Saleem declared the championship open with a ceremonial tee-off.

The championship, one of the most lucrative in the country, carries a prize purse of Rs11.1million for this year’s edition.

The championship last welcomed international golfers in 2018, when it was included on the Asian Tour, and Commander Karachi said that “efforts were going on to see the CNS Open become a part of the Asian Tour in the coming years”.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2023