LAHORE – The 2nd KPGA Soni Wali Ladies Golf Cup 2022 was held at the historic Peshawar Golf Course from December 16 to 18. This Tournament owes its genesis to the visionary initiative taken by Dr Asma Afzal Shami in 2021 to honor lady icons of yesteryears namely, Soni Wali, the trail blazer of women’s golf in KPK and Ghazala Ansari, the first Pakistani lady to achieve H’cap 1.
This year’s event is the second in the series dedicated to honouring the memory of Soni Wali. Besides being the pioneer of ladies golf in KPK, she eventually became a role model for all lady golfers by winning the National Championship in 1976 and 1980. The driving force behind this Tournament has been her brother Mr. Iqbal Wali, and her sister Rani Wali, who, as a family, were also its sole financial sponsor.
The listing of ladies championships like Soni Wali Cup on WAGR has induced competitiveness and increased the field-size, as now more girls play to earn precious WAGR points. Hamna Amjad emerged as gross winner in a nail-biting finish with a score of 216, while Parkha Ijaz secured second gross with 219. Incidentally, Parkha had ended day 1 with a dazzling 69, i.e. 3 under par. This dropped her handicap to scratch.
Thus Parkha entered the final, third round with a 3 strokes advantage over Humna. However, with two bogies in the first nine holes and Humna’s spectacular eagle on the 6th hole, Parkha not only lost her advantage but also trailed her rival by one stroke. At this crucial stage, where Parkha and Humna were evenly matched in their golfing skills, Humna won the contest due to her superiority in maintaining her focus and composure under pressure. Rimsha Ijaz won third gross with a score of 234, while Abiha Syed from KGC won fourth with 237 strokes.
In Category B, Sara Amin won first gross, Areeba Rizwan second and Maliha Elahi gross third. In Category B, Sana Zeeshan won the 1st net, Zarmina Khan second and Salza Shah third. Similarly in Category C, Meerab Rizwan won the first gross, Samina Ishtiaq second and Dr Ghazala Shams third. Sadia Askar from Mardan won the first net, Noor us Sabah second and Rabia Rashid third. Dr. Fareeda Naseer, the senior most lady golfer from Peshawar, demonstrated her knack for golf in Seniors Category by winning the gross prize.
In Junior Girls (U-14) Category, Zoha Zeehan and Zaina Zeeshan won first and second positions respectively. Summing up the performances, the top three players, Humna Amjad, Parkha Ijaz and Rimsha Ijaz belong to Peshawar, treading the path of Soni Wali. A special mention needs to be made of two, U-14 girls, i.e. Ramin Amin and Sara Amin, both also from Peshawar, who played 13 and 14 under over the course of the Tournament, dropping their H’caps in a short span of only 2 years from 36 to 10 and 14 respectively.
It’s worth mentioning here that Ramin and Sara credited their excellent performances to the experience that they had gained from their recent participation in the 22nd Sarawak Premier International Junior Golf Championship held recently in Malaysia, organized by Dr. Asma Shami in her capacity as Patron of Ace Junior Golf League.
Vice President Peshawar Golf Club Air Commodore Shahid Waheed was the chief guest at the scintillating prize distribution ceremony. He complimented Dr Ghazala Shams and her Tournament Committee, comprising entirely of ladies, for planning and conducting this mega event in such an exemplary manner. He especially lauded the role of Chief Referee, Mrs. Munazza Shaheen, for conducting this championship strictly according to the rules. She has recently added to her laurels by earning R&A Level-2 Certification with a distinction.
