Faldo Series Pakistan tees off at DACGC tomorrow

KARACHI: It’s that time of the year when Pakistan’s top junior players get the rare opportunity to shine at the international stage.

The 7th Faldo Series Pakistan – a three-day tournament featuring the leading junior players of the country – will be staged here at the Defence Authority Country and Golf Club from January 5 to 7. This is the first time since the inception of the prestigious event that Faldo Series Pakistan will be held in Karachi.

According to Salman Abbasi, the Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF) Manager, a total of 65 players from all over the country have entered for the various categories of the Faldo Series which will be played over 54 holes. There are three age-group categories for boys (Under-21, Under-18 and Under-16) and one category for girls (Under-21).

The winners of each category will earn the right to represent Pakistan at the 11th Faldo Series Asia Grand Final to be held at the Laguna Lang Co Golf Club in Danang, Vietnam, in March this year.

“The Faldo Series Pakistan is our major event of the year for juniors,” Salman told ‘The News’ on Wednesday. “It is held in various countries of the world. In Pakistan, the PGF initiated it for the first time seven years ago and it has helped us find new talent,” he added.

Last year, the winners of the various categories were Lahore’s Ahmed Baig, Saqib Tufail, Nadeem Aslam and Karachi’s Aania Farooq. From amongst these players, Ahmed has made his presence felt on the national circuit, winning several events in various parts of the country.

For this year’s event, PGF has appointed Asad I.A Khan, President Sindh Golf Association (SGA) as the Tournament Director. Brig Ajaz Ahad Khan, the newly-elected Secretary of the PGF, will also be in Karachi to ensure the smooth staging of the event.

“We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to make sure that the tournament is held successfully,” said Asad, an avid golfer, who has himself represented Pakistan at the international level.

Supported by The R&A and endorsed by the Asian Tour and the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, the Faldo Series Asia campaign has stretched over 11 months.Last year, as well as two events in China, India and Thailand, championships were staged in Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Chinese-Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

Recognised as the only global amateur series for boys and girls, the Faldo Series was established in 1996, expanding to Asia in 2006.Today, 40 Faldo Series tournaments take place in 30-plus countries worldwide, touching more than 7,000 golfers each year. Past winners include Tseng Ya-ni and Rory McIlroy, both multiple Major winners. In addition, Tour winners Nick Dougherty, Oliver Fisher, Marc Warren, John Parry, Rashid Khan, Melissa Reid, Florentyna Parker and Carly Booth have also featured in the Faldo series in their younger days.

Since the inauguration of the Faldo Series Asia in 2007, the Grand Final has been won by players from Japan and India on four occasions each and once by players from China and Thailand.The Series is named after Sir Nick Faldo, a six-time Major winner, who is regarded as the most successful golfer that Britain has ever produced.