LAHORE: Rizwan Raees led day two of the ongoing 36th Millat Tractors Governors Cup Golf Tournament being played here at Lahore Gymkhana course.
At the end of the second round of this three rounds Championship, in progress at the par 72 Course, Rizwan of the host club and an upcoming player who seeks to establish himself as a golf player of merit, competency and skill maintained his position on top of the leader board.
On day one, he was the leader along with Imran Mehmood and Hussain Atta, but the second round saw Imran Mehmood disintegrating and slipping way down the leader board to 24th position. As for Hussain Atta, he too did slip but only three positions and is placed fourth.
The assertive one in the second round was Rizwan and his commanding control which places him ahead of many established ones, is attributable to a balanced calm supplemented by steady flow of shots from the tees and the fairways. Rizwan plays to a handicap of eleven and though handicappers in this range are error prone and some of their shots have a tendency to go astray, Rizwan did not show any such weakness.
And in the 18 holes that he played yesterday, what stood out was his putting prowess. With two rounds scores of net 68 and 71 and a two days aggregate of 139, he enjoys an enviable rank as leader, as this celebrated championship moves into the final phase.
From the competitive angle, apprehensions are many for Rizwan Raees. His rivals like Ammad Nadeem and Qasim Ali Khan, may not be occupying the top position, nevertheless are just one stroke behind him. Ammad is placed at a score of net 140 and so is Qasim Ali Khan. Ammad gave a good exhibition of his aptitude and talent on the second day with a round of net 71. Equally adept was Qasim Ali Khan, who plays to a handicap of two and represents the classy and expertise loaded golf players of the national golf circuit. From the technical aspect the scales tilt in favor of Qasim Ali Khan although he will be under stress to neutralize the handicap advantage of Rizwan and Ammad.
Other competitors seeking victory are Hussain Atta, Jaffer Masih, M Omer Farooq and Omer Zia. Hussain Atta lies at a score of net 142, three strokes behind the leader, and other three Jaffer Masih, Omer Farooq and Omer Zia are at net 144. For Omer Zia, the second round was a day of excellence as he stood out with a second round score of net 68, an outstanding effort indeed.
In the Ladies event, Shahzadi Gulfam (Lahore Garrison) performed well and emerged as a leader with a score of net 72. The other notable ones are Tahmina Ahmad and Momina Tarrar. They are bracketed at a score of net 79.
The 36th Millat Tractors Governors Cup Golf Championship will conclude on Sunday. At the conclusion of the Championship the Governor Punjab will award prizes to the winners at 430 pm at Lahore Gymkhana Golf Club Lawns.