KARACHI: Having ended Pakistan number one Shabbir Iqbal’s four year stranglehold on the CNS Open Golf Championship title last year, Ahmed Baig has left himself with work to do in order to reel in the leaders after the first round of this year’s edition at the Karachi Golf Club on Thursday.

The 27-year-old had embarked on his title defence in good form; registering his first top-five finish on the Asian Tour at the Taifong Open in Taiwan last month before finishing in the top-15 at the Saudi Open last week. But a one-under 71 after the opening 18 holes at the Rs13.1million championship saw him five shots off the lead.

Mohammad Zubair, denied victory at the Rashid D. Habib Memorial Golf Championship earlier this year, fired a sensational six-under 66 with seven birdies and an eagle on the par-5 second hole on the blue course to take top spot on the leaderboard.

Eagles were the order of the day on that hole with second-placed Minhaj Maqsood Warraich (67) also bagging one alongside six birdies. Shabbir, Ahmed, Mohammad Ashfaq, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Naqas all ended the hole with two shots to spare with Matloob Ahmed the only exception in the top eight to miss out.

Mohammad Shahzad, down in 14th, bettered the ones above him with a stunning albatross on the 592-yard hole.

Shabbir, who shot five birdies, and Matloob, who got nine, are tied for third on 68, a stroke ahead of another former winner Ashfaq. Amir returned a card of 70, and is a stroke ahead of Ahmed and Naqas, while ex-champion Mohammad Munir was in a group of five that finished with an even-par 72. The whole quintet also eagled the par-5 hole.

Saad Habib seized the early lead in the amateurs tournament, returning a one-over 73 for a one-shot lead over Omar Khalid. Wajahat Ali was third, four strokes off the pace.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2025