Japan’s Yutaka wins golf title

Baig clinches seniors’ event of the HBL championship.

KARACHI:

Japan’s Yutaka Arae dominated the ladies category of the Habib Bank Limited (HBL) Golf Championship 2011 while Pakistan’s Naseem Baig won the seniors’ event and Syed Ali bagged the veteran’s competition that was held at the Karachi Golf Club, Karsaz yesterday.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s KD Lyze outplayed bagged the best gross score of 93. Yutaka, on the other hand, finished with a score of 75 to win the tournament followed by Pakistan’s Shireen Khan (78).

“Its good fun,” Lyze told The Express Tribune. “I don’t really consider myself much of a golfer but I believe that women in Pakistan don’t like the sport. However, for me it was a good exercise and an activity I share with my husband, but winning in a championship is always encouraging.

“However, I do wish that we could have more competition from my Pakistani counterparts.”

Yutaka said that golf is more or less the only sporting activity that the Japanese women in Karachi go for.

“Pursuing golf in Japan is very expensive, that’s why I like to play it here. It is one of my favourite things to do in this country,” said Yutaka.

While women chose to enjoy themselves in the championship, Baig dominated the competitive men’s event with a 77 followed by Abbas Habib (70). However, Umar Khan Bangash bagged the gross score and finished with 77 ahead of Mian Mohammad Farid (81).

Ali won the veteran’s event with 19 points as Kemal Shoaib finished as the runner-up a.

The Amateur Golf Championship will take place today with 156 golfers competing for the top prize of Rs1 million.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13^th, 2011.