KARACHI: Matloob Ahmed of Lahore Garrison Golf Club won the 20th Sindh Open Golf Championship which concluded at the Arabian Sea Golf Course here on Sunday. Matloob prevailed over champions like Shabbir Iqbal, Hamza Amin and close contenders like Mohammad Ashfaq, Anser Mehmood and Mohammad Munir. The title winning victory of Matloob was attained through excellence in shot making and an all round display of controlled nerves and superb application of golfing skills. His scores for the three rounds were 69, 65 and 70 and a three days aggregate of 204, twelve under par, represented a score of eminence. Others who did not win the title but performed impressively were Ashfaq of Airmen Golf Club, Anser of MGGC, Munir of Islamabad and the national golf icon Shabbir. In the amateur section the gross winner was Ahmed Baig of Garrison Golf Club. He put up a splendid effort and succeeded in beating Taimur Khan of Peshawar by a single stroke. Over the three rounds, Ahmed had scores of 71, 72 and 75 and an aggregate of 218, two over par. His nearest rival ended with scores of 73, 72 and 74. His aggregate score was 219. Ghazanfar Mehmood, another established amateur golfer of national fame, concluded the championship at a score of 220. As for the senior amateurs, Rustam Piracha came first and Asad IA Khan was second. Amongst the senior professionals, Mohammad Akram achieved the first position followed by Imdad Hussain and Mehmood Kayani. At the conclusion of the championship the prizes were awarded to the winners by Arif Ali Abbasi, CEO of Arabian Sea Golf Club. Top ten performers: 1: Matloob Ahmed (Garrison Lahore) 69+65+70=204 2: M Ashfaq (Airmen Golf Club) 68+66+73=207 3: Anser Mehmood (MGGC) 68+71+69=208 4: M Munir (Islamabad) 68+71+72=211 5: Shabbir Iqbal (Islamabad) 72+69+70=211 6: M Qasim (DHA) 68+72+74=214 7: Shahid Javed Khan (Gymkhana) 68+73+74=215 8: Latif Rafiq (Gymkhana) 70+72+73=215 9: M Alam (Defence Raya) 72+72+72=216 10: M Imran (Defence Raya) 72+74+71=217. Published in Daily Times, August 6th 2018.