Daily Times

LAHORE: The PGF Match Play Golf Championship on Thursday entered the final match play stage at the exquisite Royal Palm Golf Course after completion of first two rounds contested on stroke play basis here. Based on the scores achieved over the first two rounds, sixteen golf professionals qualified to battle it out amongst themselves on the match play format on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Similarly sixteen amateurs who attained top positions after competing on stroke play basis over the first two rounds now earn the honour of showing their skills in a match play contest that will bring to the fore the real amateurs of talent.

Yesterday, the leader in professional section was Mohammad Munir of Rawalpindi Golf Club. He qualified for the match play contest by emerging as the leader with two round scores of 65 and 73 and an overall aggregate of 138, six under par. Muhammad Alam of Defence Raya ended up at number two slot. His scores were 68 and 72, which gave him an aggregate of 140, two under par. Out of the other competitors, the impressive performers were Muhammad Shabbir, Talat Ijaz, Talib Hussain, Ahmed Baig, Mohammad Tariq, Mohammad Rehman, Mohammad Shahazad and Matloob Ahmed. Eight contenders could not make it and are therefore out of the championship.

On Friday the line up for match play in the professionals’ category is: Muhammad Munir vs Arif Ali, Muhammad Rehman vs Muhammad Shahzad, Talat Ijaz vs Muhammad Saeed, Talib Hussain vs Usman Ali, Muhammad Alam vs Suleman Akhter, Muhammad Tariq vs Matloob Ahmed, Muhammad Shabbir vs Syed Raza Ali Rizvi and Ahmed Baig vs Kamran Shafiq.

And the line up in amateur category is: Qasim Ali Khan vs Sheraz Hussain, Ameer Khawaja vs Syed Saim Shazli, Hussain Hamid vs Umer Khawaja, Danish Javed vs Rustam Ali Chatta, Salman Jehangir vs Mian Rashid Rasheed, Damil Ataullah vs Capt Zain, Ahmed Zafar Hayat vs Nasir Irshad and Muhammad Arsalan vs Faisal Sayid. Round one of the match play will be competed in the first half of the day on Friday and those who emerge victorious will play the quarterfinals followed by semifinals on Saturday. At the end of the day on Saturday, those who succeed in remaining unbeaten enter the final stage of the championship. The two finalists in professional category and finalists in amateur section will battle it out for supremacy on Sunday over 36 holes.