At the end of the second round of the three rounds 38th Punjab Open Golf Championship, in progress at the par 72, PAF Skyview Golf and Country Club Golf Course here Saturday, Matloob Ahmed (Lahore Garrison), M Shabbir (Islamabad) and the new find Jafal Hussain (Lahore Gymkhana) displayed champion like capabilities, powering their tee shots in the 300 yards plus range and shooting their approach shots to perfection. During the second round of this title bearing championship, these established champions of the national arena excelled in all aspects of the game and in the process ended up dominating the flow of the championship. The overnight leader was Shabbir, the top ranked golf professional of Pakistan while Matloob, an equally adept golf professional, was one stroke behind. And as proceedings gathered pace in the second round, the battle hardened Matloob gradually took hold of the command and through relentless excellence edged past the mighty Shabbir and ended up as leader, looking superb and more superior to the indomitable Shabbir. In the second round, Matloob concluded the 18 holes with a score of gross 65, seven under par and aggregated a total of 131, thirteen under par, thus gaining an edge of three strokes over Shabbir. As against these two, the new name is that of Jafal who has also emerged as a contender for the Punjab Open title with a score of 68 in the first round and an improved 67 in the second round. His two days aggregate score was 135, nine under par and it must be mentioned that his hitting quality was top class and was duly applauded. Another competitor who oozed excellence was M Asif of Defence Raya. He came up with an amazing round of gross 67, five under par in the second round and his score for two days adds up to 138, six under par. Although he lagged behind the established ones, he looked determined to charge up his game for a dominating end on the final day on Sunday (today). Out of the other established combatants, M Munir duplicated his round of 70 with another 70 on the second day and was placed at a score of 140, four under par. The flair in his hitting was a treat to watch and his putter responded to his every move. The cut was made at the end of the second round and only 30 professionals will play on the final day on Sunday while 70 have been weeded out. Women contested their first round yesterday and it was pleasing to see the performances of two teen agers, Hamna Amjad of PAF Skyview and Aania Farooq of Airmen Golf Club Karachi. Showing adequate hitting control and accuracy from the tees Hamna managed an impressive round of gross 74 and Aania came up with a score of gross 76. They now represent a bright spot for women’s golf and the wholesome talent was visible in their game. Hopefully, the managers of the national golf scene can transform this ability into international match winning eminence. Other women who did well were Zahida Durrani (Garrison), Suneyah Osama (PAF Skyview) and Shahanaz Moin also of PAF Skyview. Zahida was at a score of gross 80 followed by Suneyah at 87 and Shahnaz Moeen at gross 88.This women’s event will conclude today. The final session will be contested on Sunday and one expects a fierce battle between the top seven professionals.