women in sports
Golf as a sport has been quite popular internationally among women. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about its status among women in Pakistan till a few years back. Ladies golf has come a long way under the tutelage of Dr Asma Shami, Chairperson Ladies Golf in Pakistan. She single-handedly took the initiative to take ladies golf to the next level as the result of which is Pakistani ladies participating in international golf tournaments regularly. Today, we have players like Aania Farooq, Parkha and Rimsha Ijaz, Hamna Amjad and a host of other celebrated players.
The recently concluded 2nd SGA Ladies Amateur Golf Championship bears testimony of the same. At the championship, Pakistan’s leading female golfers were featured which teed off at the picturesque Karachi Golf Club. Sponsored by SGA, the three-day championship saw in action a total of 55 players from all over Pakistan. A total of 16 players from upcountry had joined a field of 39 Karachi-based players in the event. The tournament was one of the annual events on the SGA calendar and was sponsored by the provincial association.
The organisers of the tournament shared details of the prestigious championship with representatives of the media. Asad I.A Khan, President SGA, underlined the fact that the popularity of golf was on the rise among ladies in Pakistan. “Ladies golf is coming of age in Pakistan and SGA is seriously contemplating a ladies’ section in the SGA secretariat,” he said.
“This is a ranking match and we are trying to prepare young ladies from school and colleges to play golf and eventually compete internationally. We are thankful to President Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF) for their great support to women golf in the country,” added Tournament Director Fawzia Naqvi, also Lady Captain of KGC. Also, Humera Khalid, Executive Committee member PGF informed, “These associations are there to facilitate and to encourage golf among ladies at every level.”
There were five different categories that contested during the championship - category A (handicap 0-13), category B (handicap 14-24), category C (handicap 25-36), category D (seniors 60 plus) and category E (junior girls 13 and below). A welcome dinner followed by a gala night had been organised by Tournament Director Fawzia Naqvi to welcome the female golfers from up North. Both the events were scintillating affairs with the who’s who of golf community, from all over Pakistan. Dr Shami was also present at the Gala night along with tournament director and Lady Captain Karachi Golf Club Fawzia Naqvi, PGF executive committee member Humera Khalid, Durdana Soomro and Tahira Raza besides a host of other lady golfers.
During the three-day tournament, Fawzia had also arranged for a pampering session for the golfers providing them blow-dry, manicure, pedicure and massage facilities within the club premises which was enjoyed by all. The tournament concluded with a prize distribution ceremony in a later event. Aania Farooq successfully defended her title just by one stroke against runner up Hamna Amjad. MPA Dr Seema Yazdani was the chief guest at the well-attended affair.