Daily Times

LAHORE: The inaugural Balochistan Women’s Golf Championship was held from September 25-26 in Quetta with 50 golfers from all over Pakistan taking part in it. It was truly a unique event with Dr Asma Afzal Shami, Chairperson of Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF) Women’s Wing, putting in her great efforts for promotion of women’s golf in the country. It is pertinent to mention that women’s golf in Pakistan had remained low key affair till 2016 when General Zaheer-Ul-Islam, the then PGF President, acceded to Dr Shami’s passionate request to sanction the holding of an exclusive annual Women’s Golf Championship at the national level to be rotated between Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. This proved to be a game changer from which there has been no looking back. Since then, Dr Shami, along with the other two women members of the PGF’s executive committee — Ms Zeenat Ayesha and Mrs Humaira Khalid — have been able to prevail upon Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtinkhaw and Federal Golf Associations to sanction similar Women’s Golf Championships in their respective domains.

However, as Balochistan had so far remained outside this circuit, it had for long been Dr Shami’s ardent desire to take women’s golf to Quetta. It took three years for this dream to be realized. When she first floated this idea she expected just a few women to join her. But to her pleasant surprise, the numbers just kept increasing by the day. In keeping with the best norms of successful leadership, Dr Shami formed a core team of very competent and equally zealous women golfers for carrying out the meticulous planning and flawless execution required for the success of this rather unique event. Working under the overall supervision of Mamoona Azam, Rahina Ehtisham (Lahore), Zeenat Ayesha (Islamabad) and Fawzia Naqvi (Karachi), this core team successfully overcame the multifarious challenges involved in synchronising the movement of 50 women golfers flying in from Islamabad, Lahore Karachi, as well as in arranging their reception, transportation, board and lodging, and final departure from Quetta. Mrs Mahzareen Gul, a resident of Quetta, was designated as the ‘Official Hostess’ and went out of her way to facilitate the working of this team. Pakistan WAPDA Chairman made a generous donation of Rs.500,000/- towards subsiding the accommodation costs of the participants.

While Mrs Mahzareen Gul, as the tournament director, assisted by Seharbano Hamdani and Munazza Shaheen, conducted the actual golf championship strictly according to R&A Rules, Bela Azam, Shabana Waheed, Iffat Zahra and Shehnaz Moeen ensured the flawless conduct of the prize distribution ceremony. The championship itself was very hotly contested. As there was a tie between Rimsha Ejaz, handicap 2, (151) and Hamna Amjad, handicap 1.7, (151), Rimsha Ejaz was declared as the overall winner of the vhampionship on back count. The real high point of this trip was the induction of 14 young sportswomen of Balochistan into the fraternity of women’s golf. Their interest in golf indicated their zeal and motivated the visiting women golfers to facilitate them even further.