Daily Times

LAHORE: A feast of stroke making will be the order of the occasion as 100 top golf professionals of the country converge to the stunning, par 72, Defence Raya Golf Course in Lahore and fight it out over the next three days from Friday to Sunday, 18 holes each day aggregating to a total of 54 holes. And the occasion is the 36th Punjab Open Golf Championship on a challenging golf course, as good as any in Asia, and will establish a golfer to envy in the country. This three days, 54 holes, contest pitches the young ones of ability against the champions of immense caliber and reputation. And for those seeking to emerge as the front runners, it is the consistency to bear the pressure well throughout the 54 holes that will count.

On course will be Shabbir Iqbal, the top ranked golfer of Pakistan along with Matloob Ahmed who is ranked just one position behind and both of them have proved to be ruthless, head to head combatants, with ample ability to intimidate any opposition. They have the expertise to hit long off the tee with a short game that can easily be classified in the category of excellence. To provoke and confront them will be contenders like Muhammad Munir, the artist, Hamza Amin, a stylist in golfing skills, Shahid Javed Khan, strong in temperament, and then a few others who possess the maturity to outshine the established ones. These champions are Shafiq Masih, Jafar Hussain, Amjad Yousaf and Mohammad Safdar who would endeavor to translate their potency and strength into an accomplishment that could fetch them this prestigious title. The three days at the Defence Raya Golf Course are going to be an occasion of top class golfing in an environment of brilliance in golfing expertise.