Top stars to feature in Independence Day Cup

KARACHI: Pakistan golf’s top guns will feature in the 7th Independence Day Cup Golf Championship to be played here at the well-manicured championship course of the Defence Authority Country and Golf Club next month.
With a prize purse of Rs2 million and a guaranteed participation of over 200 top golfers of the country, the Independence Day Cup Golf Championship is all set to be an exciting and memorable affair.
The three-day championship which is counted among the leading events on the national golf calendar will be played from August 21-23.
“We are busy making all out preparations for the prestigious championship and are confident of making it a big success,” Brigadier Tariq Rafique, secretary DACGC, told ‘The News’ in an interview.
The DACGC course is presenting a picture-perfect view and the organisers are confident that it will be in top shape ahead of the three-day championship.
“We are carrying out work on various parts of the course to bring it in perfect shape and give it a face-lift ahead of the championship. The Independence Day Cup is an important event on our calendar and we want to make sure that it is held in a befitting manner,” he added.
Shabbir Iqbal, the Pakistan No. 1, will be defending his title this year but is likely to face some stiff competition from a host of challengers from Karachi and other parts of the country.
The professionals will be battling it out for a prize purse of 1.8 million while the contest for senior professionals will carry at stake a purse of Rs200,000. A host of subsidiary events will also take place alongside the main championship.
The last year’s edition of the Independence Day Cup produced some enthralling contests but in the end Shabbir managed to win the crown in an emphatic manner.
He carded an excellent final round of three-under 69, following up on his back-to-back scores of 70 on the first two days. His aggregate of 209 (-7) over the course of three-day championship helped him earn the top honours in the Rs2 million event.
Lahore’s Shafiq Masih was the runner-up with a score of 212. Muhammad Munir of Islamabad Golf Club and Imdad Hussain of Lahore Garrison Golf Club finished at a joint third position with identical score of 214.
In the amateurs’ (gross) category, DHA’s Zohaib Asif accumulated an aggregate score of 215 in the 54-hole event to claim the title. Muhammad Rehman of Royal Palm Golf Club (223) finished as the runner-up followed by Ghazanfar Mehmood of Bahiria Golf Club (226) bagged the third position. In the amateurs (net) category, Multan’s Zulfiqar Ali (215) was the winner followed by Muhammad Zubair of Karachi Golf Club (217).
In the senior professionals’ event Hassan Akbar of Arabian Sea Country Club (ASCC) emerged as the champion after carding 71. Ghani Khan of Karachi Golf Club ended up as the runner-up with a score of 73. Akhtar Ali of Lahore Gymkhana, Saleem Inayat of Karachi Golf Club and Iftikhar Ahmed of Lahore Gymkhana were tied for the third place.