KARACHI: For a second straight day, Matloob Ahmed’s strong front-nine performance kept him top of the leaderboard. This time, though, he’s the sole leader.

Matloob fired four birdies across five holes — the sixth splitting two on either side — at the Karachi Golf Course on Thursday for a three-under 69 that gave him a slim one-stroke lead after the second round of the Chief of Naval Staff Open Golf Championship.

The 2019 champion’s overall aggregate of 137 means joint-overnight leader Ahmed Baig moved into second place after a 70.

Ahmed, coming into the Rs11.1million tournament after winning the Pakistan Open last week, shot two birdies across the opening four holes of the back nine to stay on Matloob’s coattails.

The biggest mover was Mohammad Ashfaq, who fired seven birdies for a day’s best of five-under 67 to move into a share of third at 139 with Mohammad Shehzad (68).

After an even-par first round, Ashfaq showed he meant business with a fast start. He opened with consecutive birdies and then got another two on the fourth and fifth holes.

A bogey on the ninth was soon forgotten as he reeled off consecutive birdies to begin the back nine but a birdie on the 14th was offset by a bogey on the following hole.

“My putting was much better today,” Ashfaq told Dawn. “Yesterday, it let me down but I’m glad I’ve regained my touch.”

In the last two rounds, Ashfaq will be in the leader flight alongside Matloob and Ahmed. “Of course, it’s different pressure being in the leader flight but its about best holding your nerve.”

Shehzad was one of four golfers who had a round of four-under but he’s the only one who finds himself close to the top thanks to his opening-round 71. In the same flight as Ashfaq, he went bogey-free, firing four birdies.

A shot adrift of Ashfaq and Shehzad is Mohammad Alam, who returned a card of 71. Two-time defending champion Shabbir Iqbal (70) and Mohammad Zubair (71) are a stoke further adrift.

Shabbir recovered from a topsy-turvy front nine, where he hit two birdies but also had three bogeys — two of them coming on the eighth and ninth holes — but he fired three successive birdies from the 13th to stay close to the leader.

Mohammad Amir (71) and Mohammad Munir (73) are tied at 142 with both Akbar Mehroz (72) and Mohammad Naeem (73) at 143.

Shahid Pervaiz’s 68 saw him be part of a group of five at 144 with a group of four that includes former champion Waheed Baloch a further stroke behind.

Noman Ilyas moved top of the amateurs’ contest with a two-over 74 taking him to 151 overall, two strokes clear of overnight leader Omar Khalid (80) with Arsalan Shikoh Khan (73) and Noman Asghar (78) a shot further behind.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2023