As the 51st National Amateur Golf Championship entered the final phase at the magnificent Royal Palm Golf Course, there were two team events that concluded yesterday. One was the competition between Pakistan and Sri lanka for the J. R. Jaywardene Trophy and the other was the Inter Provincial Team Match.
In the J. R. Jaywardene competition the contest was over 18 holes and the event ended with good tidings for Pakistan. The Pakistani team members Ali Hai and Wasim Rana were certainly not awed by Thangaraja’s amazing round a day earlier and played with a steady touch, Wasim Rana producing a very decent card of 73 and Ali Hai chipping in with a 76 to give Pakistan a winning aggregate of 149 to Sri Lankas 152, the winning margin being three strokes. For Sri Lanka , Thangaraja scored 73 but his team mate N. Ranga produced a rather poor score of 79 to erode their chances in the contest.
As for the Inter Association Team Match contested over three rounds between the four Provincial Teams, the end was a thriller as the Sindh Team and Punjab team ended up at level scores. The four member Punjab Team comprising Mohammed Rehman, Ghazanfar Mehmood, Sardar Murad and Khalid Mehmood had an aggregate score of 670, as against a similar score compiled by Sind Team consisting of Sajid Khan, Asif Ahmed, Wasim Rana and Ali Hai. And as per rules of the championship, in such a situation the final winner is decided through a play off between two nominated players and in this case the play off took place between M. Rehman and Wasim Rana. In the playoff M. Rehman showed more nerve and won the playoff on the first hole through a birdie, while Wasim bogied the hole, bringing immense delight for the whole Punjab Team and their supporters which included a smiling Brig Akram, the Honorary Secretary of Punjab Golf Association. . Sind had to be content with the runners up slot.
Contest for the individual national title moves into the final segment and though Thangaraja of Sri Lanka appears as the leading aspirant at a three rounds aggregate score of 215, others behind him are Wasim Rana(Pakistan) at 217, Dulal Hossain(Bangla Desh) at 218, Ashiq Hussain at 219, Ali Hai at 222 and M. Rehman at 223. Although lagging behind Ali Hai the top one of Pakistan said, “I know the going will be tough on the final day but because of the experience the mindset adopts to it and mentally you get ready for it, and that is how I feel and aim to go for the charge and even if the birdies are replaced by lost strokes , there will be no regret. “Dulal Hossain of Bangla Desh stated, “I’m still there , I’m three shots behind the leader and I look forward to the challenge in the final go”. The leader Thangaraja said, “I like the Royal Palm Golf Course very much and though I didnt play as amazingly as I did in the second round, I must admit the fairways are great and shot making is crisp and mostly a delight and I look forward to a great round on Sunday”.
The ladies contest also enters the final stage and at the close yesterday Ghazala Yasmin, the defending national champion moves ahead of others with two rounds scores of 85+83 and an aggregate of 168. One stroke behind her is an upcoming young one Kashifa Zafar with scores of 86 and 83 and a total score of 169.
superb shot
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