Daily Times

LAHORE: The inaugural Fatimah Jinnah Women’s Amateur Golf Championship (World Ranking) will tee off at the sublime and delightful par 72 Royal Palm Golf and Country Club Golf Course here from Friday (today). For three days (54 holes), the skillful golf playing women of the country will assemble here to match golfing prowess, competitive capabilities, performance oriented flair. And in the process fulfill their winning urges and unlock the door to personal excellence. With women’s golf making headway and evolving splendidly and effectually captivating non golf playing young and little females, participation numbers are remarkable and already eighty women have registered for this esteemed Fatima Jinnah Golf Championship, named after the most illustrious Mader-e-Millat , ‘Mother of the Nation’.

As intimated by Minaa Zainab, the golf captain of Royal Palm and an executive committee member of the Punjab Golf Association, the format is stroke play and competition will be over 54 holes for the A category women participants, having handicap ranging between zero to 14. As for the B category hopefuls, the handicap range is 15-24 and they will engage over 36 holes (two rounds) and similarly the C category rookies, playing to high handicaps arrayed between 25 and 36, will combat over two rounds (36 holes). By virtue of this categorisation, the race for top honours becomes equitable and realistic and that sends ripples of elation amongst the contestants who feel sanguine about success and victory by performing more forcefully than their adversaries and the good feeling is that the competitive playing field is level.

Most skillful are Parkha Ijaz of Defence Raya, Ghazala Yasmin of Lahore Garrison and Iman Ali Shah of Lahore Gymkhana. These three have already become role models for the upcoming ones. Over the past couple of years their excellence on the golf arenas of Pakistan have up lifted their status as admirable and proficient ones. In the other categories, women like Amina Tiwana, Aisha Moazzam, Nighat Akram and Samina Ishtiaq are on the rise and the amount of effort they are endeavoring to apply to enhance their playing capabilities is impressive indeed. And in this championship, they are expected to come up with amazing reverberations. This tournament also has sections for junior girls and senior women.