The second day of 37th Punjab Open Golf Championship was a day for the Senior professionals, Junior professionals and Senior amateurs. Senior Professionals who mostly comprise champions of the past, although still in good shape and condition, made their presence felt through stylish hitting, appropriate and effective chipping and supplemented this effort with majestic putting on the greens.
Out of a field of 50 senior professionals the outstanding ones were Akhter Ali (Gymkhana), M. Akram (WAPDA) and Imdad Hussain (Garrison) who concluded their 18 holes outing with a score of gross 71, one under par. Since their scores were equal, to decide the ultimate winner in Senior Professionals category, they went into a sudden death playoff by teeing from hole number one. With a large crowd watching, all three hit powerful tee shots and from thereon it was the short game skill that came into play. While Imdad hit an approach shot that was not champion like, M. Akram too faltered but Akhtar Ali hit a cultivated fancy looking shot to land within four feet of the hole. And thereafter victory was just a formality, as Imdad putted for par, Akram ended up with a bogey and Akhter successfully putted for a birdie and the seniors title was all his, in this 37th Punjab Open Golf Championship.
In the race for honours in Senior Amateur category, there were 52 seniors all out to perform to perfection and emerge as winners. But as the game progressed, quite a few were not too exact and meticulous in their application of golfing skills and they started to lose strokes with gay abandon and thereby lost their route to victory. The resolute ones however played with care and managed ardent and fervent golfing and this effort yielded pars for them and there were no hiccups all through the 18 holes competition. Tariq Mehmood of Garrison turned out to be the best one and compiled a score of gross 75 and succeeded in winning the first gross prize. Second gross went to Imran Ahmed of Defence Raya, his score being gross 76. Javed Khan of Gymkhana ended up third and his score was gross 79. Net section winner of Seniors event was Brig. Zahid Maqbool with a net round of 70. Another one who played exceedingly well was Kang Chong Jin of Defence Raya. He was steady all through the 18 holes and remained calm and composed to compile a net score of 71 and capture the second net. Third net winner was Abdul Haseeb, his score being net 72.
From Friday the professional champions and leading amateurs enter the contest and noticeable will be golfing of class and distinction for the next three days.
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