Daily Times

LAHORE: The first day of the five-day 40th Punjab Open Golf Championship, endorsed by PSO and EXD (an IT enterprise), was marked for the senior professionals and senior amateurs at the outstanding PAF Skyview Golf Course here on Wednesday. For the senior professionals and senior amateurs, the competition will be over two rounds and 36 holes and will conclude after the eighteen holes on Thursday (today). The senior professionals may be ranked as seniors but one cannot disregard the fact that they are illustrious golf players of the past and even now after having crossed the 50 years age railing they have the capability of showing their artful control and coming up with scores that are worthy of admiration. And at the end of the first day, the leaders were two in number bunched together at a score of gross 73. Nisar Ahmed of Islamabad was one and Naseer Khan of Peshawar was the other. Their score of gross 73 was compiled through a dependable effort and reflected capacity and adeptness.

One stroke behind the leaders was Mohammad Akram of Lahore Gymkhana. His outing over 18 holes was mostly error free and the all-round effort fetched him a decent score of gross 74. This senior is regarded as a plucky and valorous competitor with the ability of flattening his adversaries over the final 18 holes on Thursday (today). Other senior professionals with appreciable scores were Tahir Nasim (Gymkhana) 76 and Ghani Khan (Peshawar) 76. At 77 was a former amateur and recently turned senior pro Rustam Ali Chatta of Lahore Garrison Greens. In the race amongst senior amateurs, Tariq Mehmood of Lahore Garrison was a front runner with a score of gross 77. At a score of gross 82 was Younas Barula and at gross 83 was Mohammad Shafi of Garrison. Today the senior professionals and senior amateurs’ events will conclude. And from Friday the celebrated and renowned professionals of the national golf scene will be in action.