PESHAWAR: Nouman Ilyas shot a 71. His closest rival Salman Jahangir matched him. So did defending champion Omar Khalid.
The lead accumulated by the sedate Nouman over the first three rounds, though, proved insurmountable for the chasing pack.
Nouman became the new National Amateur Golf Champion here at the PAF Golf Course on Sunday, breaking Omar’s record for being the youngest winner of the event with an aggregate of three-under 285.
“I love to be among the strongest and senior players and the win really counted to me because I got the honour of becoming the youngest national champion,” Nouman said. “It was tough to play here but I managed to win.”
Salman finished eight strokes behind at 293 with Omar ending another stroke behind in third. Another six strokes behind were Hussain Hamid and Hamza Khattak.
Humna Amjad clinched the ladies title with a 71 seeing her finish the three-round contest at one-over 217. Rimsha Ijaz ended in second place, six shots behind with her sister Parkha another seven behind in third.
With the national amateur titles under their belts, Nouman and Humna can now qualify for international events.
“Being able to represent Pakistan is a dream come true and I will work hard to win titles for the country in the world of golf,” Humna said.
Col Waqar Ahmed won the senior amateurs’ title with a three-round aggregate of 235. He finished just two shots ahead of Zakir Hussain and Tariq Mehmood.
Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2021