Young Omar Khalid takes lead as President SGA Cup tees off

KARACHI: Talented schoolboy Omar Khalid fired an impressive round of 75 to lead the field on the opening day of the three-day 10th President Sindh Golf Association (SGA) Cup golf tournament here on Friday.

Omar, 16, braved scorching heat as he sank two birdies to take a one-shot lead in the amateurs’ category of the tournament ahead of the duo of former national champion Muhammad Ali Hai and Waqas Burki (76).

Ali, who is also a former Bangladesh national champion, is making his comeback to competitive golf with the President SGA Cup.

He recovered from back-to-back bogeys on the first two holes to finish the front nine at 39. Ali was steadier on the back nine with a solitary bogey on the 10th hole. “It was really hot today but I’m happy with the way I played,” said Ali, who was able to give glimpses of his past brilliance especially on and around the green.

It was, however, the young Omar Khalid, who stole the limelight in the opening round.

Omar, who is the reigning Faldo Series Pakistan Under-16 champion, had a double bogey on the 2nd hole but recovered by making a birdie on the 5th finishing the front nine at 37. He had three bogeys and a birdie on the back nine to finish with 38.

“I struggled a bit on the greens today but hope to do better in the next rounds,” he said.

Also in contention for the title was the talented Waqas Burki, who shared the second spot on the leader-board with Ali Hai.

He is followed by 16-year-old Danyal Khan (77) and the big-hitting Sain Shazli (77). Next is the duo of Arsalan Shikoh and Junaid Irfan (78). The trio of Hazma Ghani, Sajid Shah and Bilal Naseem are at 79. The young Hamza Z Khan shot 80 that included two eagles and three birdies. The seasoned M.A Mannan also carded 80.

Meanwhile, in the ladies category Humera Khalid shot 80 to take a one-shot lead over Aanya Farooq. They are followed by Tabassum Sharif, Nida Haq and Tahira Raza.

In the juniors’ category, Yashal Shah won the title after carding 73. Sameer Saeed was the runner-up. Ashas Amjad won the net title while Sameer Feroze was runner-up.

In the veterans’ category, Col Shahid Mahboob was leading with a score of 41 after the first nine holes.

The two-day seniors’ event will tee off on Saturday (today) with a big field of 44 players. Among the favourites for the title are Azhar Abbas, Omar Bangash, S Navaid Ali and Col Mansoor Akram. Other prominent players include Ahmed Jameel Siddiqui, Sajid Sharif, Asad I.A Khan and Arshad I.A Khan.

Meanwhile, the participants of the amateurs’ event can expect better and relatively easier tee placement in the second round on Saturday.

Asad I.A Khan, President SGA, told ‘The News’ that several players complained that the tee placement on Friday “were a bit tough considering the scorching heat.”

“It has been decided to make the tee placement relatively easier for the next round,” he said.