Daily Times

LAHORE: The 1st President PGA Open Golf Championship 2023 went into a combat and engaged in high toned action were the top 100 professionals of Pakistan at the immaculate PAF Skyview Golf Arena here on Monday. At the end of the first round in this three rounds championship, involving only professionals, Muhammad Shahzad of Lahore Garrison and Waheed Baloch of Karachi Golf Club appeared as the distinguished ones by virtue of a brilliant first round similar score of four under par 68. Shahzad scored a 68 as did Waheed. The field includes the nationally acclaimed Muhammad Shabbir, and the celebrated ones like M Matloob, Muhammad Munir and Shahid Javed Khan. The first round belonged to Shahzad and Waheed who sparkled as top performers while the super ones languished behind the leaders. In the past few open golf championships, whenever Shabbir competed, he created an awe thereby curbing the chances of many strong combatants. But yesterday, after a long time, Shabbir was not able to embrace the top of the leader board.

Right from the start, Shahzad looked unperturbed and as the holes were completed he thrived by playing stunning golf. Along the way he birdied the 3rd hole, the 6th hole and then the 8th and on the back nine lost a stroke on the 12th hole. Shahzad birdied the 17th and 18th holes and encountered a bogey on the 12th hole. Hardly bothered by this set back, Shahzad remained sufficiently calm to regain his rhythm and birdied closing 17th and 18th holes. His card of 68, four under par, can be graded as appreciative. As for his leaderboard mate Waheed, the first round had been an illustrious one. Helped by six birdies, ten regulation pars and two unwanted bogies, Waheed remained a paramount one of the first day.

Two strokes in arrears was a matured golf professional of national golf circuit Muhammad Nazir of Rawalpindi Golf Club. During the first round, his rhythm was good but failed to cause ripples of stunning golf a feature that was expected of him. Other performers in the professional section were Mudassir Iqbal (Karachi), Kamran Shafiq (Gymkhana), Muhammad Alam and Usman Ali (Lahore Garrison), Umair Saleem (Garrison Greens) and the herculean one Mohammad Shabbir (Islamabad). They were all together at a score of gross 71, one under par. At a score of par-72 were Kashif Masih, Muhammad Saqib and M Matloob (all from Lahore Garrison) and Muhammad Asif from Defence Raya. Six competitors were bunched together at a score of gross 73. They were Shahid Javed Khan, Abdul Zahoor, Muhammad Azam, Muhammad Zubair, Jafal Hussain and Muhammad Sajjad.