The Pakistan Golf Federation Match Play Golf Championship 2020 is in progress since five days at the par 72 Royal Palm Golf Course entered the quarter final stage.
On Friday was match play and battling it out for supremacy were 16 top professionals of the national golf arena and 16 amateurs who can easily be graded as the capable ones. Match Play golf contests represent many moments of excitement as the skilled ones are matched in one to one fight and difference in playing calibre is minimal indeed.
In the contests on Friday those who stayed on the winning march were mostly the top ranked ones. M. Munir (Rawalpindi) beat Arif Ali (PTV) in the opening match, Muhammad Shahzad (Garrison) beat M. Rehman (Royal Palm), Talat Ijaz (Gymkhana) beat Muhammed Saeed (Royal Palm), Talib Hussain (Islamabad) beat Usman Ali (Garrison), Muhammed Alam (Defence Raya) beat Suleman Akhter (Gymkhana), M. Tariq (Islamabad) beat Matloob Ahmed (Garrison), M. Shabbir (Islamabad) beat Syed Raza Ali (PAF Skyview) and Ahmed Baig (PAF) Skyview beat Kamran Shafiq (Gymkhana). The only upset of the day was the loss of Matloob Ahmed, the super one of Pakistan to the lesser known M. Tariq.
Only eight professionals will compete in the quarter finals on Saturday and line up will be; Muhammad Munir vs M.Shahzad; Talat Ijaz vs Talib Hussain; Muhammed Alam vs Muhammed Tariq; Muhammed Shabbir vs Ahmed Baig . All these eight professionals enjoy a class of their own and the urge to overcome a mighty adversary will be strong indeed.
In the race for match play ascendancy amongst amateurs, the triumphant ones were Qasim Ali Khan (Gymkhana), Syed Shaim Shazli (Karachi Golf Club), Hussain Hamid (Royal Palm), Danish Javed (Gymkhana), Salman Jehangir (Gymkhana), Nasir Irshad (Gymkhana) Muhammad Arsalan (Gymkhana) and Capt Zain (KHR). And the line up for quarter finals on Saturday will be: Qasim Ali Khan vs Syed Saim Shazli; Hussain Hamid vs Danish Javed; Salman Jehangir vs Capt Zain; Nasir Irshad vs Muhammed Arsalan.
