RAWALPINDI, Feb 13: Shahid Javed Khan gained a two-stroke lead among professionals while two golfers emerged as joint leaders among amateurs in the opening rounds Open golf championship on Monday.

Shahid birdied four holes and returned a card of two-under 70 to take lead in the professionals category with another two rounds to go.

The amateurs category also got under way on the second day of the championship. In the amateurs net, which will be the basis for awarding the title trophy, the first round leaders were Hassan Rafi (handicap 12) and Shahid Waraich (handicap 8) who both scored four-under 68.

Ijaz Hussain Qureshi was second with a score of 69 (handicap 10) while on the third position, four golfers were tied with scores of par 72 each. They were Saleem Raza, Arshad Kundi, Munir Haider Malik and. Zaheer Jawad.

In the amateurs gross, Shahid Waraich (handicap 8) was on top with a card of 76 while Ijaz Hussain Qureshi and Azhar Shah Bukhari were joint runners-up with 79 each. On third position were Hassan Rafi and Inayat Ullah Yousufzai with 80 each.

Picking up the second spot behind Shahid among professionals were three golfers with par 72 each — Amjad Yousuf, Talib Hussain and Imdad Hussain.

Occupying the third position were five of them with one-under 73 each — Asghar Ali, Afzal Mohsin, Matloob Ahmed, Nisar Hussain and Abdul Jabbar.

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