In a ceremony held here Tuesday at the Skyview Golf Club, Ahmad Baig, the celebrated and brilliant one of the Pakistan golf scene, was formally awarded the professional golfers card personally by Lt Gen (r) Hilal Hussain, President of the Pakistan Golf Federation. The award of the professionals’ golf card is a huge honour for this golfer of talent and ability and will enable him to participate in open golf tournaments in Pakistan and overseas. As a result of this award, earned by him through accomplishments as an amateur golfer, which included winning the Bangladesh national golf title recently, Ahmad travels to Dubai on Wednesday (today) to join the famous and prestigious Butch Harmon School of Golf. He will undergo five days exclusive training and practice at various various golf courses before launching himself in the qualification phase of the MENA Golf Tour which commences golfing activity at the Ayla Golf Club, Aqaba, Jordan from January 30, 2019. Incidentally this institution is widely regarded as the best golf coaching place in the world. This training academy has worked with successful players like Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples, Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, Adam Scott and Ernie Els. Another golfer who was honoured on this occasion was Ghulam Nabi, a former golf champion of the decades of eighties and nineties who has the distinction of winning the Pakistan Open title six times. Now that he will be playing and competing as a senior golf professional, he gets exemption from any qualification requirements and can participate in championships reserved for senior golf professionals. Published in Daily Times, January 23rd 2019.