Mobilink Golf Championship sets off in Pakistan today
Pakistan Times Sports Desk

KARACHI: National champion Shahid Javed Khan will be aiming to match the might of top golfers from India and Sri Lanka in the Mobilink 43rd Amateur Golf Championship of Pakistan which tees off here at the Arabian Sea Country Club [ASCC] from today, Saturday.

Shahid, Pakistan’s best-ranked amateur, will team up with the country leading golfers like Vaqas Ahmed, Tariq Mahmood, Dr Aimal Zaman and Omair Javed, in a bid to keep the coveted title at home even though several formidable challengers from India and Sri Lanka will be gunning for the crown over the next four days.

"Yes off course our target here will be to win the Pakistan amateur title," asserts Indian number one Manav Das a part of a formidable four-member team in the competition to be played from February 19 to 22.

But even India’s most highly-rated golfer is aware of the tough field in the championship that has attracted top notch amateurs from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and new comers Iran. It is for the first time since 1997 that Indian golfers will be competing in the Pakistan Amateur Championship. The Indian team includes Jaideep Patwardhan (captain), Vikrant Chopra and Harinder Gupta.

If current form is any yard stick then Sri Lankan ace Lalith Kumara will be a front-runner for the top honours. He is the Bangladesh amateur champion and is fresh from a title-winning performance in the Amateur Championship of India in Kolkata earlier this month.

Lalith is at the helm of an eight-member Sri Lankan squad that includes four junior players. Bangldesh’s team includes four golfers while Iran has fielded two amateurs in the competition. It is for the first time that Iranian golfers will be seen in action in Pakistan.

Thailand and Nepal were also scheduled to send their teams but pulled out of the competition after organisers rejected their demand to provide air fare.

In spite of the presence of a host of Indian and Sri Lankan title aspirants, Pakistani officials are keeping their fingers crossed for a local young gun to triumph in the championship that will be organised at a cost of Rs1.5 million.

"There is no doubt that it is going to be a tough tournament and Indian players will have the edge but I am confident that our boys will rise to the occasion and excel in the championship," said Sindh Golf Association (SGA) Secretary Asad I A Khan, a veteran golfer and captain of the ASCC at a media briefing held here on Wednesday.

Pakistan Golf Federation (PSF) Secretary Wng Cmdr (Retd) Iftikhar Khan also expressed similar view pointing out that Pakistan have beaten India in a major international competition last year and it can happen again this time on home soil. Pakistan shocked India in the Namura Cup in Australia last fall to claim the fourth position in the competition that feature golf playing nations from the Asia Pacific region.

Strong winds that can turn a golf competition upside down may be a blessing in disguise for local golfers as they will be more familiar with such conditions as compared to their rivals from India.

Some of the biggest contenders for the title agreed that while the fairways and greens of the ASCC were in perfect in shape, the wind factor might make life difficult for the participants. While the amateur championship will be the main attraction, a number of minor events will also be played alongside the biggest amateur tournament of the national golf circuit.

Around 120 golfers will compete in various event during the championship. The International team Match will be played over 36 holes on February 19-20.

The J R Jayewardene Trophy between Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be played on February 21. The ladies amateur event will be held over 54 holes from February 20 to 22. For the first time in the history of the championship, a senior amateur competition will also be played over 36 holes on February 21-22.

The Juniors championship will be played in two age groups (15 to 17 and 13-14) from February 19 to 21. The event’s sponsors hoped that it will be a highly successful tournament. Tariq Raz and Afzal Mohsin Ali of the ASCC also spoke at the media conference.●