Daily Times

LAHORE: Phannari Meeson of Thailand won the 1st PGF International Women’s Golf Championship crown at Defence Raya Club Golf Course here on Sunday. She led the fight for honours right from the time she hit her first tee shot and never let go of her hold and command over the playing proceedings. Her tee shots on the par fours and par fives resonated perfect timing and rhythm and these shots were fittingly backed up by remarkable play from the fairways. To add an exceptional touch to her performance, she managed to putt exceedingly well on the Defence Raya Greens, a big challenge for every accomplished golf player. Phannari prevailed over her adversaries with a round of 75 on the first day, a 72 on the second day and again a 72 in the final round. Through commendable play, she accumulated a three days score of 219 and achieved success rather comfortably beating her own country mate Chanettee Wannasen by a margin of five strokes. No doubt, Chanettee had also put up a determined effort but her control over her putting was not as marked and striking as Phannari. The talented Chanettette had to be content with the runner-up position with three rounds scores of 78, 73 and 73 and an aggregate of gross 224 for the three rounds.

Taniya Batasuriya of Sri Lanka was expected to perform outstandingly. But somehow the lucky breaks did not come and error calculation in choosing the appropriate clubs let her down. Her shots found the water hazards twice and this marred her brilliance. With scores of 76, 75 and 79 and a three rounds aggregate of 230, she managed to come third. For Pakistan the best one turned out to be young teenager Suneyah Osama of Garrison Golf Club. As a young one seeking international honors backed by the passionate efforts of her father, Suneyah had shown courage and determination. Her scores for the three rounds were 79, 76 and 78, an aggregate of 233. She claimed fourth position. Humna Amjad of Pakistan ended the championship at a score of 242 along with Lana Ardini (Malaysia). Another one from Malaysia, Maisrah Muhammad, finished at 244, followed by Kayla Perera of Sri Lanka at 247, Aaniya Farooq (Pakistan) 250, Nada Mir (Qatar) 253 and Magala Evah (Uganda) 255. In the race for honours in handicap category 14-24, the gross winner was Nazanin Shahraki of Iran with a score of gross 160. The second gross position went to Momina Tarrar of Royal Palm. The third position holder was Syeda Iman Ali Shah of Gymkhana. The net winner of handicap category 14-24 was Hadiya Osama of Garrison Golf Club. The second net winner was Rubbina Nasir of Defence Raya and the third net position was secured by Rafaqat Abjad (Rawalpindi). At the conclusion of the championship, Begum Samina Alvi, wife of President of Pakistan, honoured the participating golfers with her presence and awarded prizes to the top performers.