International golfers happy to have played in Pakistan
Players from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh finish bottom of the pile in alien windy conditions
PHOTO: Nabil Tahir
KARACHI:
The international players participating in the 56th edition of National Amateur Golf Championship may have ended the tournament at the bottom of the table but said they have learned a lot from the conditions.
Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan players were unable to impress at the windy conditions of the Defence Golf and Country Club in Karachi. “We have never experienced such conditions. Here the sea wind is quite strong so it is very difficult to maintain shot accuracy,” Bangladeshi golfer Muhammad Shakibur Rehman told The Express Tribune, with his side finishing bottom in the team event.
“We don’t have golf courses near the sea so we have never experienced such strong winds, while the local players here were quite used to the conditions and played really well,” he said. “We have learned a lot in these four days. Our players are experienced as we have also hosted Asian events but it was their first international tour.”
Sri Lankan team captain Sajeewa Kumar, who is a seasoned campaigner, also admitted the conditions were alien to him. “I have played in many countries around the world but haven’t experienced these conditions anywhere,” he said. “Coming to Pakistan and playing here in such windy conditions has added more experience to my career.”
Kumar wasn’t particularly disappointed with his side’s showing. “Our players did play some good shots once they got used to the conditions, so if we play two or three more tournaments here then I think we will be able to compete with the Pakistani players,” said Kumar, whose team lost the JR Jayawardene Trophy against Pakistan’s Ghazanfar Mehmood and Ahmed Baig.
“We wish to invite the Pakistani players to our country and experience the conditions we have there. Here the green is so good but the wind changes the shots,” he added.
Meanwhile, in the main amateur event, Ashiq Hussain won first prize with his five-over-par (293) and was followed by Taimoor Khan with his nine-over-par (297). In the ladies event, national champion Aania Farooq won first prize with her 10-over-par (226), followed by Ghazala Yasmin’s 12-over-par (228).
In the international team match, Pakistan A — Ismail Ahmed (captain), Taimoor Khan, and Mehmood — won the title with their 14-over-par (302) and were followed by Pakistan B — captained by Ahmed and included Ahmed Baig and Muhammad Rehman — scoring 18-over-par (306).
Sindh won the inter-association team match, while Federal finished second. In the senior amateurs category, Brig (R) Nayyar Afzal won first prize with his 17-over-par (233) followed by Lt Col (R) Raja Asif Mehdi (234), Lt Col (R) Waqar Ahmed, Lt Col (R) Shahid Imtiaz Warraich, Lt Col (R) Zahid Iqbal and Omar Bangash respectively. These six players will team up for an upcoming international amateur golf tournament to be held in Australia in August.
The international players participating in the 56th edition of National Amateur Golf Championship may have ended the tournament at the bottom of the table but said they have learned a lot from the conditions.
Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan players were unable to impress at the windy conditions of the Defence Golf and Country Club in Karachi. “We have never experienced such conditions. Here the sea wind is quite strong so it is very difficult to maintain shot accuracy,” Bangladeshi golfer Muhammad Shakibur Rehman told The Express Tribune, with his side finishing bottom in the team event.
“We don’t have golf courses near the sea so we have never experienced such strong winds, while the local players here were quite used to the conditions and played really well,” he said. “We have learned a lot in these four days. Our players are experienced as we have also hosted Asian events but it was their first international tour.”
Sri Lankan team captain Sajeewa Kumar, who is a seasoned campaigner, also admitted the conditions were alien to him. “I have played in many countries around the world but haven’t experienced these conditions anywhere,” he said. “Coming to Pakistan and playing here in such windy conditions has added more experience to my career.”
All set for Amateur Golf Championship
Kumar wasn’t particularly disappointed with his side’s showing. “Our players did play some good shots once they got used to the conditions, so if we play two or three more tournaments here then I think we will be able to compete with the Pakistani players,” said Kumar, whose team lost the JR Jayawardene Trophy against Pakistan’s Ghazanfar Mehmood and Ahmed Baig.
“We wish to invite the Pakistani players to our country and experience the conditions we have there. Here the green is so good but the wind changes the shots,” he added.
Meanwhile, in the main amateur event, Ashiq Hussain won first prize with his five-over-par (293) and was followed by Taimoor Khan with his nine-over-par (297). In the ladies event, national champion Aania Farooq won first prize with her 10-over-par (226), followed by Ghazala Yasmin’s 12-over-par (228).
In the international team match, Pakistan A — Ismail Ahmed (captain), Taimoor Khan, and Mehmood — won the title with their 14-over-par (302) and were followed by Pakistan B — captained by Ahmed and included Ahmed Baig and Muhammad Rehman — scoring 18-over-par (306).
Sindh won the inter-association team match, while Federal finished second. In the senior amateurs category, Brig (R) Nayyar Afzal won first prize with his 17-over-par (233) followed by Lt Col (R) Raja Asif Mehdi (234), Lt Col (R) Waqar Ahmed, Lt Col (R) Shahid Imtiaz Warraich, Lt Col (R) Zahid Iqbal and Omar Bangash respectively. These six players will team up for an upcoming international amateur golf tournament to be held in Australia in August.