LAHORE: A total of 50 senior amateur golfers, 27 veterans and 16 women will be present on the Lahore Gymkhana Club Golf Course here on Friday (today) with great fondness for achieving victory related honours in the first Quaid-e-Azam Amateur Golf Championship. To all these eager participants simple participation, in the championship named after the Father of the Nation, is a moment of celebration and joy even if they fail to make it to the victory stand. And Dr Khawaja Sadiq Hussain, an 88 year old veteran of many golfing victories and a hopeful in the veterans category, was forthcoming in stating that: “A win in this prestigious championship will be a befitting tribute to the memory of Mohammed Ali Jinnah who taught us values of Unity, Faith and Discipline.” Another accomplished veteran of days gone by, Maj Gen Ghaziuddin Rana, was equally vocal and shared that: “I’ve got a lot of good memories from my younger days. I still continue to make my presence felt on the golf course and it is my earnest desire to emerge successful in this championship and thereby satisfy my urge to pay homage to the Father of the Nation in my own humble way.”
Dr Hussain and Ghazi Rana will be amongst many other veteran hopefuls like Maj UD Najmi, Air Cmdr (r) ZI Ahmed and Col (r) Hamayun Rashid who look forward to winning honours in this national event of significance. The ladies section is loaded with strong contenders and so is the section relating to senior amateurs. Names like Sameea Javed Ali, Ghazala Yasmin, Shahzadi Gulfam, Maryama Khan and Zaib un Nisa resound in the ladies category. And over the 18 holes stroke play competition today, they will be sharp in application of golfing skills and nervousness aside, nothing can prevent them from playing superb golf. Those who rightfully boast of doing well in the senior amateur section are Qayum Rashid, Imran Ahmed, Col Asif Mehdi, Col M Shafi, Tariq Mehmood, Chaudhary Naeem, Shafiq Bhatti, Dr Tariq Malik and Dr Zahid A Khan. The competition will be over 18 holes on the Gymkhana Golf Course which is going to test their abilities to the full.