LAHORE:Ahmed Baig of PAF Skyview Golf Club and Ansar Mehmood of Margalla Greens emerged as front runners in the Pakistan Golf Federation-endorsed 49th Pakistan Open Golf Championship here at Lahore Garrison Greens Golf Course on Friday.
Ahmed Baig showed his enormous golf playing capabilities through shot control and mastery on the greens and thereby emerges as the leader with an assertive performance. With a second round score of gross 68, Ahmed finds his two rounds aggregate of 140, four under par, fittingly suitable to place him at the top ladder on the leaderboard.
Ansar Mehmood is also there with Ahmed by matching the aggregate score of gross 140 with two rounds scores of 68 in the first round and 72 in the second round yesterday. No doubt this might be upsetting for the herculean ones like Shabbir Iqbal, M Munir and Matloob Ahmed, who have reigned the golf arena of Pakistan for the past fifteen years but it appears in this event that they are not the ones in command.
Two strokes behind the two leaders is Muhammad Alam (Lahore Garrison) with two rounds scores of 68 and 74 and an aggregate of 142. Out of the other contenders, Arif Ali (Gymkhana) is placed fourth with two rounds aggregate of 143, one under par and he is three strokes behind the leaders, Ahmed and Anser.
More contenders in line for good positions are Hamza Taimur Amin (Islamabad) at a score of 145 and also at 145 are Shahid Javed Khan (Gymkhana), Mohammad Saqib (Garrison) and Muhammad Naqas (Islamabad). Following them are Aashir Masih (Gymkhana) and Waheed Baloch (Karachi) at 146. At a score of 147 are placed Minhaj Mohammad Waraich (Rawalpindi), Matloob Ahmed (Garrison), Mohammad Munir (Rawalpindi) and Abdul Zahoor (Multan).
The number one ranked player of the country had lost his bearing in the first round and his score was an unbelievable 79. In the second round, however, his excellence stood restored and his round of 69 gives him a two rounds score of gross 148 and he is placed 16th on the leaderboard.
In amateur category, the teenager Saad Habib Malik of Rumanza showed his talent and merit and is the leader in amateur section with two rounds scores of 76 and 75 and a two rounds aggregate of 151. Placed one stroke behind him is 15-year-old Irtiza Hussain. His two rounds scores are 73 and 79 and total for two rounds is 152. Ali Amin of Sargodha is at a score of 153. Out of 35 amateurs, only three amateurs made the cut, which represents a huge compliment for these young ones. The overall cut was placed at the end of two rounds and based on scores only 56 made the cut. That included 53 professionals and only three amateurs.
The senior professionals played their first round on Friday. Leaders at the end of the first round are Muhammad Tariq (Islamabad) and Zulfiqar Ali (Multan) with a score of gross 71, one under par. Irfan Mehmood, Tariq Mehmood and Tahir Naseem are placed together at a score of 73. Tee off in the third round tomorrow, Saturday will be at 8am.