Salman wins Fortuner as CNS Open tees off to sensational start

KARACHI: They say that lightning never strikes twice in the same place. They also say that a hole-in-one is a rare feat. The odds of an average golfer making a hole-in-one are believed to be 12,500 to 1.

On Thursday here at the rain-drenched course of the Karachi Golf Club, it was like a case of lightning striking twice in same place as first Lahore's recently-turned pro Salman Akhtar made a hole-in-one and just hours later local amateur Omar Bayat aced the par-3 Blue fourth.

The duo overshadowed several leading pros who battled the elements to return with pretty decent cards in the opening round of the Rs8.1 million 24th UMA Chief of Naval Staff Open Golf Championship. But in golf, like in life, timing is everything.

Salman, 26, made his hole-in-one in the morning and by virtue of doing that won a brand new Toyota Fortuner worth almost nine million rupees. That's more than the entire prize basket of the CNS Open, which is by far the most lucrative golf tournament in the country. The Fortuner was for the first ace in the tournament which means Omar's feat, which came in the evening, will go unrewarded.

Salman, who aced the third hole on front nine (Red course), played the rest of his round in a daze and returned with a forgettable score of 79. "I just couldn't stop thinking about it," he told 'The News'. "It all seemed like a dream. I was unable to play my shots but I have no complaints," added Salman, who dedicated his rewarding ace to his father Akhtar Ali, currently a senior professional who has been playing professional golf for almost four decades. "It's because of my father and all his hard work that I'm sTanding here today enjoying this moment," said Salman as he leaned on the white Fortuner parked in front of the KGC Clubhouse.

While Salman was basking in the glory of an incredibly lucky shot, Omar was receiving congratulatory messages from his peers.So was he disappointed that somebody else took away the big prize just by virtue of doing it before him?

"No, there is no disappointment as the pro deserved it more," said Omar, a 6-handicapper, who aced the Blue 4th with a six-iron. Incidently, Omar's only other hole-in-one also came on the same hole. Meanwhile, the battle for supremacy among the professionals got off to an exciting start despite wet conditions.

For a change, it was the relatively lesser-known pro, Muhammad Qasim, from DHA, who catapulted himself to the top of the leader-board along with young sensation Ahmad Baig and seasoned Shahid Javed Khan, both from Lahore. The trio were tied for the top place with scores of three-under par 69. Just one shot off the pace was a group of five -- Hamza Amin, Matloob Ahmed, Mohammad Imran, Talat Ijaz and Talib Hussain.

Hamza, son of legendary golfer Taimur Hasan, could have been the outright leader but was unfortunate to get a two-shot, self-imposed penalty. Soon after teeing off on the first hole, Hamza realised that there was an extra club (15th club) in his golf bag. He immediately reported it to chief refree Cmdre Zafar Mahmood and was duly slapped with a penalty. "I had a fabulous round today despite that mishap," he told 'The News.

There were six pros at 71 -- Afsar Ali, Muhammad Tariq, Mubariz Ahmed, Muhammad Munir, Shafaq Khan and Muhammad Naeem. They were followed by Pakistan No. 1 Shabbir Iqbal, Syed Ali Reza, M Safdar, Muhammad Afzal, Waheed Baloch, Usman Ali, Amjad Yousuf, Muhammad Amir, Arshad Zubair, Khushal Khan, Muhammad Zubair and Latif Rafiq at 72.

Shabbir, who remains one of the favourites to win the title despite his modest 72, could have done better but he faltered on the last hole -- Blue 9th -- where he made a double bogey after hitting his tee shot in the jungle on the right. "Blue's last hole is becoming a nightmare for me," said Shabbir, who also had a double on the same hole at the last year's CNS Open, which was a US$300,000 Asian Tour event.

The opening round was hit by intermittent rain and in the end some of the amateur flights were forced to return to the clubhouse at dusk without completing their round. They will need to complete the round early Friday morning before teeing off for the second round.