Top players featured in 4th SGA Ladies Amateur Golf Championship

Karachi(Cliff News)Leading national players are in full action in the Engro 4th Sindh Golf Association (SGA) Ladies Amateur Golf Championship 2022 at the picturesque Karachi Golf Club from January 7-9.Ms Fawzia Naqvi, Lady Captain KGC and member SGA, announced here on Wednesday that girls and lady golfers from all over the country will take part in five different categories during the three-day championship.”This is the fourth year that we are conducting this championship. This is the second time it is being held at KGC. We are very excited because there has been a tremendous response from lady golfers from all over the country for this prestigious championship,” Fawzia said.More than 70 golfers in various age categories will take part in the three-day championship as well as a special putting contest to be held today.National ladies champion Humna Amjad is the hot favourite with sisters Daniah Syed and Abiha Syed also in contention for the prestigious title.”We are really pleased over the fact that players from Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Bahawalpur have also come here to take part in the championship,” Fawzia said.Speaking at the press conference, Mr Khurram Khan, President SGA, said that the association’s priority is to promote youngsters.”SGA’s vision is to develop and promote young girls and boys to be national level winners in the next 4 years and then become international winners,” he said.The competing players will be contesting for various prizes including the Shabana Siddiqui Memorial Trophy which will go to the most promising player of the championship being sponsored by Engro. The youngest junior golfer will receive Mrs Ibne Hasan Memorial Trophy.

Embassy of Pakistan arranged free golf coaching classes at Minsk

Minsk(Cliff News)The Embassy of Pakistan in collaboration with Minsk Golf Club arranged opening day of the five day long free golf coaching classes by Pakistan’s top PGA certified Coach Khalid Mahmood.Several golf enthusiasts from Belarus including amateur players and beginners participated in the classes. The golf coach, arranged by the Embassy, will continue to provide free classes for another four days.Khalid Mahmood is a professional coach (golf pro) since 1984 with extensive experience in Pakistan, as well as in Southeast Asia, South Korea, China, England, Austria, Italy and the USA. At this moment he is a staff coach of one of the golf courses in Milan Italy.

Golfers Tee-Off in support of deaf education 5th Annual Charity Tournament hosted by KFC

Karachi(Cliff News)KFC, Platinum Sponsor, hosted the 5th Charity Golf Tournament in support of Deaf Reach Schools, Training Centers and Colleges in Karachi. Tournament venue sponsor DAC&GC welcomed the golfers to tee-off on 8th March, 2020.The 18-hole tournament was planned in the Texas Scramble format and at 7:30 am the golfers teed off at gun shot to kick off the game for this year.Friends of Deaf Reach, Golfers and their families were hosted for the Annual Deaf Reach Luncheon and Award Ceremony by Soneri Bank Ltd. This was followed by a heartwarming performance of the “Sohni Dharti” in Pakistan Sign Language by the students of Deaf Reach School.The title sponsor for the event this year was KFC and was DAC&GC provided us access to the golf course. Our 18-hole tournament partners including BMC Solutions, Pakistan Petroleum Limited, iTextiles, Mediplas, EFU, Premier Insurance Ltd. Emkay Lines, PICT, Scilife, EMC, Fidelity Insurance Brokers, DEPD – Government of Sindh, Aeon and Trisl, hosted their team flights at the kick off. Pepsi Co as beverage partners, and Soneri Bank as lunch and ceremony sponsors, Gravitas Packaging as trophy partners all joined together to make the event a resounding success. The proceeds from this yearly tournament contribute towards the education and skills training of over 300 deaf students.Mr. Raza Pirbhai, COO- KFC, presented trophies and cash cheques to each winner, followed by a vote of thanks to Golfer Friends of Deaf Reach. The winners of the 5th Annual Deaf Reach Golf Tournament are listed below: 

Nearest to Pin Hole No. 7:  M. Hassan Akram

Nearest to Pin Hole No. 17:  Abid Vazir

Longest Drive Hole No. 8:  Zunair Khan

Longest Drive Hole No. 15:  Aman Sahibzada

Runner up Team Net: Humera Khalid/ Ayesha Kashif/ Aania Farooq/ Daniah Saeed

Winner Team Net: Ehtisham Qadir/ Yasin Kodvavi/ Osama Minhaj/ Ali Sana Rizvi

Runner-up Team Gross: Abdur Rehman/ Waleed Chachar/ Omar Khalid/ Arsalan Mughal

Winner Team Gross: Hamza Ghani/ Abdullah Nasir/ Nadeem Iftikhar/ M. Qasim

Mr. Qasim Qamar representing DEPD, Govt. of Sindh congratulated the organizers and reiterated the government’s support towards Deaf education in his address.Deaf Reach Schools, Training Centers & Colleges, a program of FESF, provides education and skills training to Deaf children in Pakistan. Join the cause to make education a reality for these children. 

Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup returned to Karachi

Karachi(Cliff News)The champion will represent Karachi in the Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup Grand Finals Turkish Airlines, flying to more countries than any other airline, arrived in Karachi at Defence Authority Country & Golf Club for the Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup attendance for the event was high while local high-profile figures and members of the business community was also present.Established in 2013, the Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup comprises 100tournaments held around the globe at world-class facilities with over 8,000 players in total competing against one another.The winners of this year’s tournament will qualify for the Grand Finals in Antalya in November, when they have the chance to secure a place in the Turkish Airlines Open pro-am, and will fly Business Class with Turkish Airlines to stay at a five-star golf resort on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.Representing Karachi,Sultan Mahmood secured his position as the champion with 43 points, while Aftab Nihal was runner-up, and Adnan Mahmood came third.The Nearest the Pin competition on the seventh hole was won by Adnan Mahmood for the men’s category and Annia Farooq for the women’s. Annia Farooq won

the lowest gross score with 76.Gurhan Sozen, General Manager for Turkish Airlines Karachi, said “Thank you”again to all of our wonderful guests who made the Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup here in Karachi a huge success. What a great tournament it was to watch and congratulations to our winner of this stage of the TAWGC series, Sultan Mahmood. We wish him the best of luck in Antalya.”

Durdana Soomro and Ayesha Kashif won top prize at ladies golf event at KGC

Karachi(Cliff News)It turned out to be a fun-filled tournament. Twenty Karachi ladies and girls were joined by two more from Lahore and Abbottabad at the Ladies Golf Tournament held here at the Karachi Golf Club.Played on the Texas Scramble format, the tournament had seven teams featuring the leading ladies of Karachi golf along with some rising young talent.In the end, it was the trio of Mrs Durdana Soomro, Mrs Ghazala Zafar and 11-year-old Ayesha Kashif which won the top prize.Hosted by Fawzia Naqvi, Lady Captain of KGC, the tournament lent its support to the Golf Training Programme launched by Ideas Events PR for under-privileged children. HabibMetro Bank and ATCO were the sponsors.

Leopards Courier building a long life game for ladies golfers

Karachi(Cliff News)Dozens of ladies and girls will feature in the inaugural edition of the Leopards Courier SGA Ladies Amateur Inter-Club Match to be played here at the Defence Authority Country and Golf Club (DAC&GC) on Saturday.The tournament is the latest and welcome addition in the growing list of golf events in the country aimed at promoting ladies golf in Pakistan.The Inter-Club Match will feature teams from DAC&GC, Karachi Golf Club and Airmen Golf Club. An Under-14 event for boys and girls is also taking place simultaneously.A total of 35 ladies and 23 kids, including both boys and girls, are featuring in the tournament.Established as a part of the Sindh Golf Association (SGA) calendar, the Inter-Club will feature leading players of the country including national champion Humna Amjad, former national champion Aania Farooq and Humera Khalid amongst others.“The golfing season is in full swing in Karachi and this tournament adds to the festivities,” said Asad I.A Khan, President SGA.According to the event’s organisers, the objective of introducing a full-fledged Ladies Inter-club Match is to promote the sport among girls and ladies so they can take active part in broadening the horizon of golf in the country. This is also one of the top targets of SGA and the Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF) for this year.“We are incredibly proud to host the first Ladies Inter-club Match at DAC&GC,” commented Humera Khalid, the Tournament Director and member of the PGF Executive Committee.“This is a fantastic initiative and perfectly aligns with our mission of building a lifelong game for golfers of all ages and abilities.“The way that the PGF and SGA has come together to show women’s golf at its best is so inspiring and I can’t wait to see how we can be at the heart of driving that conversation again in years to come,” she said adding that the initiative has complete support of PGF and its President Lt Gen Mian Hilal Hussain.“This is the 1st time we are introducing U-14 girls category because we believe that the future of golf lies in our youth,” she said. “We really appreciate all the support extended to the event especially from President PGF.”

Aania Farooq retains SGA Ladies Amateur Golf title

Karachi(Cliff News)When Aania Farooq had a forgettable second round of 85 at the 2nd SGA Ladies Amateur Golf Championship on Saturday, it seemed that the Karachi girl won’t be able to successfully defend her title.After all, her chief rival, 15-year-old Hamna Amjad, a former national champion, had catapulted herself to the top of the leader-board with a superb 78 that gave her a two-shot advantage going into the final round of the three-day championship here at the Karachi Golf Club.But in the end on Sunday afternoon, the more experienced Aanya reigned supreme to win the prestigious title for a second year in a row by a solitary stroke.It all came down to the last hole – the challenging par-14 18th hole on the Yellow course – where Aanya prevailed over her spirited opponent.Her cause was helped by lady luck as her opponent was dogged by a couple of triple bogies. But despite those two major blemishes, it was heartening to see that the young Hamna still managed to finish the final round with a score of 80.“There was a bit of bad luck for me on the 6th hole,” Hamna said about the par-4 6thon the Red course (front nine). “I hit my tee shot and everybody thought that it had gone into the water hazard on the left. So I hit my third shot but later we found out that my first ball was safe. I went on to have a triple bogey on that hole.”Hamna’s other triple bogey was on Yellow’s par-5 10th where she hooked her second shot from the rough into the hazard.Meanwhile, Aania gave her best when it mattered most. She carded an impressive 77 in the last round for an aggregate of 243 to beat Hamna (244) by one stroke. Karachi’s Daniah Syed finished third with an aggregate of 250.In category B, Ayesha Fauzan won the gross title with a margin of three strokes. Abeeha Hanin Syed was the runner-up.In category C, Syeda Iman Ali Shah won the title ahead of Shabana Waheed and Shabana Siddiqui.MPA Dr Seema Zia was the chief guest at the prize distribution ceremony of the championship which was sponsored by Sindh Golf Association.Speaking at the occasion, Fawzia Naqvi, Lady Captain KGC, underlined the fact that ladies golf was on the rise in Pakistan. She hailed the role of Pakistan Golf Federation, SGA, KGC as well as of Dr Asma Shami, Chairperson Ladies Golf (PGF) for her tireless efforts towards the promotion of ladies’ golf in the country. Also present at the occasion were Asad I.A Khan, President SGA, Cmdre Ghazanfar Abbas, COO KGC, Rizwan Feroz, Captain KGC and Cmdre Zafar Mehmood, Chief Referee among others.

Top players to feature in second SGA Ladies Amateur Golf Championship

Karachi(Cliff News)Pakistan’s leading female golfers will feature in the 2nd Sindh Golf Association (SGA) Ladies Amateur Golf Championship 2019 which tees off here at the Karachi Golf Club from August 2.Sponsored by SGA, the three-day championship will see in action a total of 55 players from all over Pakistan. A total of 16 players from upcountry have joined a field of 39 Karachi-based players in the event.The tournament to be played from August 2-4 is one of the annual events on the SGA calendar and is sponsored by the provincial association. The subsidiary sponsors include UMA, Bank AL Habib, Kings Group, Golootlo and others.At a press conference held at KGC on Thursday, the organisers of the tournament shared details of the prestigious championship with representatives of the media.Asad I.A Khan, President SGA, underlined the fact that the popularity of golf was on the rise among ladies in Pakistan.“Ladies golf is coming of age in Pakistan and SGA is seriously contemplating a ladies’ section in the SGA secretariat,” he said.Cmdre Ghazanfar Abbas, KGC’s COO, said that the club management will leave no stone unturned in their efforts to make the tournament a resounding success.“All arrangements have been made to make the tournament a big success. The fairways and greens are in great shape and I’m sure that the visiting players will love the experience of playing at our course,” he said.“This is a ranking match and we are trying to prepare young ladies from school and colleges to play golf and eventually compete internationally. We are thankful to President Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF) for their great support to ladies golf in the country,” said Tournament Director Fawzia Naqvi, also Lady Captain of KGC.Due to heavy rains, the organisers had to work overtime to bring the KGC course in top shape for the event.“It was an unusual situation for us because of the heavy rains as it became difficult to maintain the course,” commented Rizwan Feroz, the KGC Captain. “But we have worked very hard and now the course is in great shape for the tournament,” he added.Humera Khalid, Executive Committee member PGF said, “These associations are there to facilitate and to encourage golf among ladies at every level. We are extremely thankful to KGC for their all-out support for conducting the championship.There will be five different categories to be contested during the championship – category A (handicap 0-13), category B (handicap 14-24), category C (handicap 25-36), category D (seniors 60 plus) and category E (junior girls 13 and below).The tournament committee includes Cmdre Ghazanfar Abbas, Cdr Majid Satti, Rizwan Feroz, Ahmed Ismail, Fawzia Naqvi, Humera Khalid and Durdana Soomro. Cmdre Zafar Mehmood is the chief referee.The tournament will conclude with a prize distribution ceremony on Sunday. MPA Dr Seema Yazdani will be the chief guest.

Asad I.A Khan, President Sindh Golf Association (SGA) addresses the media here at the Karachi Golf Club to share details of 2nd SGA Ladies Amateur Golf Championship on Thursday. Also present at the occasion (from left) Cmdre Ghazanfar Abbas, COO KGC, Ahmed Ismail, Vice Captain KGC, Rizwan Feroz, Captain KGC, Fawzia Naqvi, Lady Captain KGC and Humera Khalid, Member PGF Executive Committee.

15th TCF Golf tournament teamed up the golfers for Education

Karachi(Cliff News)The Fifteenth edition of TCF Golf Tournament by The Citizens Foundation (TCF) concluded successfully with an attendance of avid golfers, C level executives and other guests. The one day tournament was held at Karachi Golf Club with an aim to raise funds for TCF schools – providing quality education for the less privileged. This year, the tournament format was changed to Texas Scramble to turn it into a more socially inclusive day for the golf lovers. The chief guest of the event was Commander Karachi, Rear Admiral Asif Khaliq. More than 100 golfers participated in the tournament, to show their commitment towards TCF’s mission to educate Pakistan.The latest Pakistan Education Statistics Report by AEPAM, Ministry of Education Pakistan revealed, there are 22.84 million children out of school. According to UNESCO´s published figures, Pakistan has the second highest number of out of school children globally after Nigeria. Pakistan also has the highest number of illiterate adults in the world. Additionally, we have gender inequality issues in education. Out of the 5.06 million children not going to primary school, 60% are girls. According to recent country statistics, compared to a girl, a boy in Pakistan has a 15% higher chance of going to primary school. (Source: Alif Ailaan).Speaking about the event, Mr. Mushtaq Chhapra said, “The education crisis in Pakistan is like a ticking time bomb. It needs to be addressed at the highest priority level. If each one of us takes it as a duty to help educate the children, no child in Pakistan will remain uneducated. TCF has been organizing this Golf Tournament for the last fifteen years to help golfers come together to support education. The success of our Golf Tournament has been made possible due to the generous golfers, Karachi Golf Club team and the corporate sector who joined hands with us. Education is a long term investment; it empowers people to become agents of positive change!” Mushtaq Chhapra also serves as a member of Government’s new Task Force on Education.If the citizens are to stem this tide of ignorance and despair, our foremost duty is to educate, enable and empower our children to become agents of positive change. Today, with two decades of experience and more than 1500 school units under care, The Citizens Foundation is committing itself to creating 2 Million Agents of Positive Change by the year 2030. In making this promise to our common future, TCF recognizes that the road ahead remains daunting and demands belief, creativity and concerted action from all of us – citizens, enterprises, institutions and the State. Enabling equal right, TCF ensures nearly half the students are girls.This year’s golf tournament was made possible with the support of corporate sponsors, media partners and the well-wishers of TCF who believe that education is the answer to a better Pakistan. Bank Al Habib & Faysal Bank were Gold sponsors while Indus Motors, Premier Insurance, Habib Metropolitan Bank and Sapphire Group were the silver sponsors. Other in-kind donors were Mr. Rizwan Rasheed of Richa Leathers for gloves, Mr. Imran Gheewala of Selimpex International for T-shirts, Musadaq Zulqarnain of Interloop for socks, Mr. Asim Shabbir Patka of Millinium Textile Mills for Towels, Mr. Yasin Kassam of Pakistan Beverages for cold drinks & water, Mr. Sadiq Feroz of Saniplast for band aids, Abbott Pakistan for Mospel and Unilever for their giveaways.At the presentation ceremony, prizes were distributed among the winner team, runners up team, longest drive, closest to pin and hole in one. The Hole in One car gift was also sponsored by Indus Motors.

About TCF

The Citizens Foundation (TCF) is a strong advocate of the belief that a truly informed and educated society forms the foundation of a progressive state and instills in its citizens the ability to adapt and evolve with changing times. It is a non-profit organization set up in 1995 by a group of citizens who wanted to bring about positive social change through education. 23 years later, TCF is now one of Pakistan’s leading organizations in the field of education for the less privileged. The TCF model focuses on providing quality education through purpose-built schools located in the heart of Pakistan’s urban slums and rural communities. The organization ensures that girls represent nearly 50% of overall student enrolment. To magnify its impact, improve enrolment and quality of education, TCF has been adopting Government schools across Pakistan. http://www.tcf.org.pk

Matloob Baig successfully defended title in Chevron DHA Karachi Open

Karachi (Cliff News)A highly successful edition of Chevron-DHA Karachi Cup All Pakistan Open Golf Championship concluded following an exciting finale here at the picture-perfect course of the Defence Authority Country and Golf Club.Lahore’s Matloob Ahmed successfully defended his title with a three-day aggregate of 204 (-12). Matloob, who carded a superb round of 68 on the final day won by a big margin of eight strokes as his biggest challenger Muhammad Shabbir was unable to click when it mattered most. Shabbir carded 74 on the final day and finished on a joint second spot with Shahid Javed Khan both finishing with 212 (-4).Taimoor Khan won the amateurs title ahead of Zohaib Asif while in the amateurs’ net category Asadullah reigned supreme while Joon Park was the runner-up.Asad Khan won in the junior professionals category while Muhammad Akram won the senior professionals title.Aania Farooq and Omar Khalid won the ladies and juniors titles respectively while Humera Khalid and Hamza Gheewala were the runners-ups. In the juniors net category Ali Arif was the winner while Samir Feroz was the runner-up. Syed Navaid Ali reigned supreme in the seniors’ category while Azhar Abbas was the runner-up.Col Shahid Mehboob prevailed in the veterans’ category while Asghar Ali Khan was the runner-up. Abdullah Badar won the masters event ahead of Sameer Saeed.The tournament carrying a prize basket of Rs 2 milion was played from February 7-10 with the main professional event taking place over 54 holes from February 8-10.Top professionals and amateurs from all over the country were part of the stellar cast of the tournament sponsored by Chevron Pakistan Lubricants (Private) Limited, a manufacturer and distributor of premium lubricants in Pakistan. This tournament is a unique yearly event of Pakistan Golf Federation calendar, which is counted among the most prestigious golf events in Pakistan. More than 400 golfers featured in the tournament including leading professionals and amateurs of the country. Other events which were played during the tournament included Senior Professionals, Seniors, Veterans, Ladies, Juniors and Masters.Muhammad Najam Shamsuddin, Country Chairman & Area Business Manager, Chevron Pakistan Lubricants (Private) Limited, hailed the successful hosting of the event.“It was great to see so many golfers competing in the Chevron-DHA Karachi Cup All Pakistan Open Golf Championship. It was a highly successful tournament.Chevron Pakistan Lubricants (Private) Limited will continue supporting community events and activities like this tournament in the future,” he said.