Daily Times

LAHORE: The 9th JA Zaman Memorial Open Golf Championship gets underway at the Lahore Gymkhana Club here from February 21 to 26. Addressing a news conference, Sarmad Nadeem of Lahore Gymkhana Golf Club, along with Hamid Zaman of Zaman Family, Bilal Zaman and Taha Mehmood, said this golfing activity was the 9th edition and sanctioned by the Pakistan Golf Federation (PGA). “This tournament has evolved to become one of the biggest golf tournaments nationwide with total prize money of Rs. 6.0 million. The tournament attracts the top golfing talent from across the country and is one of the most anticipated match ups of the golfing calendar in Pakistan,” added Hamid Zaman.

The salient features of this year’s edition include: top 100 ranked golf professionals of Pakistan will compete in the main draw from Feb 23 to 26, making it one of the most competitive fields in golf across the country. The championship includes nationally recognized golf amateur players who compete for glory and honors in victory. Total prize money of Rs 6.0 million and a chance to win a 1300CC Honda City Car on a hole-in-one makes the event one of the top purses in Pakistan golf. Six categories of players including juniors, ladies, senior professionals and amateurs, and veteran golfers all participate in the tournament. A record number of entries highlighting the anticipation and excitement the championship brings forth with more than 500 plus participants.

Bilal Zaman said the tournament was held in the memory of JA Zaman, an iconic symbol who was a man of enormous dignity. “He left behind an indelible impact of his entrepreneurial abilities and his passion for golf in particular,” he added. JA Zaman’s family, which is the principal sponsor of this championship, is pleased to make possible, with the gracious cooperation of the Lahore Gymkhana Golf Committee, such a prestigious event where, no doubt, only the best of the sport will be showcased. Regarding the playing arena, Sarmad Nadeem said that Lahore Gymkhana Golf Course was one of the oldest golf courses in Pakistan tracing its origin to the 19th century. “It is an 18 holes championship course, with a par 72 spread over 65 acres. It is a tree lined course demanding excellence and accuracy from start to finish.” Khawaja Pervaiz Saeed highlighted that star players of the national golf circuit like Shabbir Iqbal, M Matloob, Ahmed Baig, Hamza Amin, Muhammad Munir, Waheed Baloch, Minhaj Maqsood, Muhammad Alam and Muhammad Shahzad would be competing against one another to see who comes out on top.