Shabbir takes slim lead over Hamza in DHA Open

KARACHI: Shabbir Iqbal fired a superb 67 on the opening day of the Chevron All Pakistan DHA Open Golf Championship 2016 but still had to contend with the second place on the leader-board on Friday.

That was because the young Hamza Amin bettered the ace golfer by sinking seven birdies in a score of six-under-66 in the first round here at the picturesque Defence Authority Country and Golf Club (DACGC).

But on Saturday it was Shabbir, who topped the leader-board despite scoring one-under 71 as Hamza faltered with a card of one-over 73.

With an aggregate of 138 (-6) Shabbir has a slim one-shot lead over Hamza going into the final round of the Rs1.8 million championship.

Three strokes off the pace is KGC’s Afsar Ali (-3) and is followed by the quartet of Pakistan No. 1 Muhammad Munir, Matloob Ahmed, Muhammad Naqas and DACGC’s Imran Ali.

Most of Pakistan’s top-notch players are featuring in the championship.

The biggest shock in the event so far is the fact that Waheed Baloch, one of Karachi’s leading professionals, failed to make the cut. In the amateurs’ category Naeem Khan and M Sharif are leading the pack.