Professional golf player Muhammad Akram has won the 8th edition of Manzoor Hussain Memorial Golf Championship, held at par 72 golf course of Lahore Gymkhana on Wednesday. This is an event held for senior golf professionals and alongside the main event there are also events for the amateurs and ladies.
This annual event is hosted by Syed Shaghil Husain in memory of his father Syed Manzoor Hussain, who was an eminent golfer and played the sport at Lahore Gymkhana for nearly 50 years. The event provides an opportunity to the professional golfers to compete and win cash prizes. The event was keenly contested by nearly two dozen senior and veteran professionals who included former national champion Manzoor Ahmed and others like Akbar Ali and Iftikhar Ahmed who are considered golfers of eminence.
Akram dominated the championship and produced skill which included excellent drives on all par fours and fives and backed the drives with crisp shot making from the fairways. Through accuracy loaded all round display, he accumulated a score of gross 74, which provided him the first prize and a glittering trophy. Akhter Ali, a former champion of the national golf scene came second and his gross score was 76. From amongst the participating amateurs Ahmed Zafar with a handicap of four played superbly and won the first prize in amateur section. His gross score for the round of 18 holes was 74. The runners up position went to Mohsin Zafar. He scored a gross 76. In the amateur net section Salman Gulzar won the first net with a score of net 70. In the net category Ahsan Gulzar was runner up.
Ghazala Yasmin, the national ladies champion of Pakistan topped in the ladies competition. Samia Javed Ali was runner up. As for other prizes the longest drive was won by George Masih with a tee shot of 277 yards. Closest to Pin prize was won by Muhammad Arif whose tee shot at par 3 ninth hole landed just 9 feet from the cup. At the end of the match, all the senior and veteran pros were given cash prizes and the amateurs were presented with souvenirs. The Championship trophy was awarded to Muhammad Akram.