KARACHI: On the third of the sixtieth National Amateur Golf Championship, Omar Khalid, 16, fired one other regular spherical to change into the only chief forward of the ultimate spherical on the Karachi Golf Club on Saturday.
The lanky Omar, who shared the lead on the second day with Salman Khan after carding a formidable 71, scored 74 within the third spherical to take pleasure in a slim one-shot lead on the penultimate day of the distinguished four-day championship.
While Omar, who has a three-day combination of 222 (+6) stays on the prime spot on the leader-board, the battle for the nation’s most coveted golf title has intensified with the likes of Pakistan No 1 Umer Khokhar and Ralfay Raja displaying spectacular performances within the third spherical.
Ralfay fired the perfect spherical of the third day — 72 — to catapult himself to a joint second place with Khokhar. Both are at 223 (+7). Khokhar scored one other strong spherical of 74.
Three strokes behind them is Islamabad’s Salman Khan, who returned with a card of 78. Behind him is the trio of Saim Shazli, Omar Shikoh, Salman Jahangir adopted by Karachi’s Mansoor Teli, and Lahore’s Qasim Ali Khan. Omar Shikoh was additionally in prime gear, firing a spherical of 72 to remain within the hunt.
The limelight, nonetheless, was as soon as once more on Omar, who received the 2020 Faldo Series Pakistan under-16 title. Representing host membership KGC, Omar began the spherical with a formidable birdie on the primary gap. He additionally birdied holes 7 and eight to complete the entrance 9 at 34 (-2). However, he faltered on the again 9 the place he had 4 bogeys.
In the senior amateurs’ class, Col Rustam Ali stayed on the highest of the leader-board with an combination of 153 after the second spherical. He has a two-shot lead over Mohammad Ali (155). Karachi’s Azhar Abbas is in third place with 156.
In the women’ amateurs’ class, Lahore’s Rimsha Ijaz fired a shocking spherical of 68 to take an enormous eight-shot lead. Rimsha now has a two-day combination of 146 and is well-placed to win the women’ title. In second place is Karachi’s Aania Farooq (154). She is adopted by Ghazala Yasmin (156), Humna Amjad (159), and Parkha Ijaz (161).
The four-day championship will conclude on Sunday.
Following is the amateurs’ leader-board after the third spherical:
222: Omar Khalid
223: Ralfay Raja, Umer Khokhar
226: Salman Khan
227: Saim Shazli, Omar Shikoh, Salman Jahangir
228: Mansoor Teli
229: Qasim Ali Khan
230 Mohsin Zafar
233: Ali Hai, Damil Ataullah
Senior amateurs’ leader-board after second spherical:
153: Col Rustam Ali
155: Mohammad Ali
156: Azhar Abbas
157: Lt Col Asif Mehdi
158: Col Mohammad Shafi
160: Tariq Mehmood, Sohail Ok Rana, Haji Ishaq
Ladies amateurs’ leader-board after second spherical:
146: Rimsha Ijaz
154: Aania Farooq
156: Ghazala Yasmin
159: Humna Amjad
161: Parkha Ijaz
