At the end of the first round in the two rounds, 36 holes Lahore Gymkhana Club Championship, in progress at the Gymkhana Golf Course, Mohsen Zafar appears as the leader with an impressive looking score of gross 74. Other notable performers in the gross section are Sardar Murad Khan at a score of 76, young and youthful Waleed Zubair at 77, followed by three competitors Qasim Khan, Mahad Zafar and Sameer Iftikhar, all bracketed at a score of 79.
Mohsen Zafar is fresh from his victory in the Governors Cup and now in this contest for the much sought after Gymkhana Club Title, he continues to show nerves and ability. Three birdies in the round yesterday reflected excellence and control over his fairway shots and though he suffered a double bogey setback on the 3rd hole, he recovered to complete the round through steady play.”I had a good round on the opening day and my putting feel was there with me throughout the 18 holes. I look forward to doing better in the final go on Sunday”. Sardar Murad Khan is an experienced competitor and his chances of putting up a determined fight in the final round is a live possibility. He is a golfer with an accomplished all round game and enough experience to apply himself to the winning track without encountering hiccups.
As for Waleed Zubair, he is the young one, vibrant, oozing with talent and adequately charged up for a fling at the title. Such occasions provide an opportunity to talented ones like him to show what they are capable of.He just has to focus on his long shots to avoid any inaccurate drives and he can upset the experienced ones. At the conclusion of the first round, he had a noticeable smile of confidence on his face and though he did not make a statement, the smile said it all. More contenders in line are Ahad Nadeem at 80, Sultan Jawa, Taimur Shabbir and Mohsin Anwar at 81, Aftab Arshed at 82, and Nauman Hyder and DR Arshed Mehmood at 83.