LAHORE – Muhammad Shoaib and Nouman Ilyas dominate the Smart City 62nd National Amateur Golf Championship being held at the Lahore Gymkhana Golf Course.
This four-round championship has over 60 golfers including three champions from Sri Lanka and one from Egypt competing for individual honors as well as team events such as the International Team Match, JR Jaywardene Trophy Match, and Inter Association Team Match between Senior Teams and Men Amateur Teams, and Individual Championship for Men and Women.
In the JR Jaywardene Team Match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, Salman Jehangir and Qasim Ali Khan of the Pakistani team emerged as trophy winners, beating Sri Lankans RAU Akash Priyamantha and MH Chalitha Pushpika with a margin of seven strokes.
Meanwhile, in the run for individual honors, 20-year-old Muhammad Shoaib of Lahore Gymkhana Golf Club and Nouman Ilyas of the Punjab Golf Association Team held the top spot on the leaderboard with an 18 holes score of gross 71, one under par. Shoaib and Nouman displayed exemplary ascendancy over all round golf playing techniques during the first 18 holes, reflecting their control over powerful drives, approach shots, and putting. “The first round has been marvelous for me,” said Shoaib, hoping to continue his form in the upcoming rounds.
Other contestants, who showed good performance, include Salman Jehangir of Pakistan Team and Ralfe Aslam Raja of Punjab Golf Association Team, both bunched together at a masterly score of gross 72. Usama Nadeem of Sargodha, Omar Khalid of Pakistan Team, and Umer Farooq of Gymkhana also impressed with their touch of excellence.
Usama scored gross 73 while Omar Khalid and Umer Farooq are together at gross 74. Placed at a gross score of 75 are three players loaded with talent. They are Rao M Hassan (Rawalpindi), Umair Saleem (Federal Golf Association) and Saad Habib (Rumanza Golf Club). Much is expected from these adroit champions. In the ladies’ category, the national race starts on Thursday, featuring a player from Qatar, Nida Mir, with a handicap of two.
Earlier, the Long Drive Competition was completed, and Salman Jahangir (354 yards) won in the men’s section, followed by Omer Intesar (340 yards) and Muhammad Daniyal (305 yards). In Senior Amateur Category, Umair Butt (DHA Raya) was first with a distance of 305 yards while Col Ikram ul Haq was second with 303 yards followed by Muhammad Ali (Quetta) 300 yards.
Amongst the ladies, the longest drive was hit by Parkha Ijaz with a distance of 304 yards followed by Rimsha Ijaz (288 yards) and Amina Tiwana (280 yards). The second round of the Smart City 62nd National Amateur Golf Championship will be played on Thursday, and the tee off is scheduled at 6:30 am.
