Zeeshan takes two-shot lead as JDT event tees off

KARACHI: Zeeshan Ali took a two-stroke lead in the Karachi leg of the Jinnah Development Tour (JDT) golf tournament here at the Airmen Golf Club on Wednesday.

On a hot and humid day, Zeeshan played steady golf to card a first round score of one-under 71 in the Rs1.4 million tournament. In second place was Bilal Khan, who finished with 73. In third place (74) was a group of six golfers – Zubair Hussain, Mehran Parvez, Nasir Masih, M Naqas, Asad Khan and Raheel Ikram.

The Jinnah Development Tour is a relatively new venture of the Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF) which essentially is meant to provide an opportunity for the second tier professionals to earn some money provided by the provincial associations affiliated to PGF.

The top 40 professionals of he country are not entitled to participate, the remaining 52 PGF card holders and 60 reserve card holders play the JDT along with 19 junior professionals.

Wednesday was the first round of the 54 holes tournament that teed off at 7am in slightly better playing conditions than what was experienced during the PGF Q-School last week, held at both Karachi Golf Club and the Airmen Golf Club.

The tournament is being managed by the secretary of Sindh Golf Association (SGA) Col Zahid Iqbal with the support of Sq. Ldr. Mansoor Ali, Secretary of AGC, under the overall supervision of the President SGA, Asad I.A. Khan who is acting as the Tournament Director.