140 Golfers To Feature In Royal Palm Team Trophy

(@FahadShabbir)

140 golfers to feature in Royal Palm team trophy

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Nov, 2016 ) : Country's top-ranking golfers will be testing each other golfing abilities and skills in the 10th edition of the Royal Palm Team Trophy and Challenge Shield Golf Championship, which swings into action here from Friday (Nov 11) at the Royal Palm Course.

This was stated by Omer Mir, general manager, Royal Palm Golf Club, at a press conference, also attended and addressed by Col (Retd) Jameel Khalid, Director Golf, and Khawaja Pervaiz Saeed, Director Media, on Thursday.

Omer Mir said that despite all hiccups that Royal Palm underwent in the past three months, once again it is all geared up to hold the championship for the tenth time in a befitting manner, to be followed by other major golf championships like the Chief of Naval Staff Golf Championship in following weeks.

Omer Mir highlighted that all planning and scheduling has been done so that excellence is visible throughout the championship. Col (R) Jameel, in his comments, emphasised that in a championship of this level, the venue and the playing arena have an extremely important role to play.

"Without any doubt, the golf course is admirably splendid in appearance, with fairways, greens and the multitude variety of age-old trees, making the competing golfers feel blissful. "Yet from the competing angle, golfers are tested to the full and golf course attributes like fast greens, water hazards, bunkers, out of bounds, fairways contours and the weather making life difficult for those who have their eyes on the victory stand and related glory," he added.

Col (R) Jameel also explained the tournament history, saying that has been an annual event formally known as the DUNLOP trophy on the golf Calendar, but was abandoned in 2000 and then re-introduced in 2006.

Khawaja Pervaiz Saeed said that in the country's national golf calendar, this is the only championship contested on team basis that makes it a very special occasion for those representing their club teams.

He said that in this championship the events at stake are, Royal Palm Team Trophy, Net Challenge Shield, Gross Cup and Ladies Cup.

Col Jameel highlighted that golf clubs from around Pakistan are eligible to send two teams, each consisting of four players.

Two teams have been fielded by the major clubs like Lahore Gymkhana, Lahore Garrison Golf & Country Club, Rawalpindi Golf Club, Islamabad Golf Club, PAF Peshawar Golf Club and, of course, the host Royal Palm Golf & Country Club.

The Lahore Gymkhana Golf Team won the Team Title last year and will again be contesting. As for format of the team competition, on each day of play, the best three Gross scores of each team will be counted towards the final aggregate team total at the end of three days of tournament play.

Running in conjunction with the main Team Trophy, the Gross Cup will be contested over the three tournament days. The previous winner is Ghazanfar Mehmood and is a contender once again. Others in the run are players of ability like Taimur Khan and Adnan Khan from (Peshawar), Zulfiqar Ali and Ashiq Hussain (Multan), Sajid Khan (Arabian Sea) Zuaib Asif (DHA Karachi), Sardar Murad, Sameer Iftikhar, Salman Jehangir, Wazir Ali, Ahmed Zafar Hayat, Qasim Khan and Waleed Zubair (Lahore Gymkhana), Fakhar Imam, Shafiq Bhatti, Col Asif Mehdi and Col M.

Shafi (Defence Raya), Mohsen Zafar, Omer Salamat, Shoaib Shams (Royal Palm), Tariq Mahmood and Wajid Ali (Islamabad), Capt Ansar Mehmood PN, Mansoor Teli, Aly Rana and Rizwan Feroz (Karachi), Tariq mahmood and Wajid Ali (Islamabad), Mohammad Rehman, Omer Salamat, Abbas Ali Khan, Mohsen Zafar, Amer Mehmood (Royal Palm).

Regarding ladies participation, it was stated that ladies with a handicap of 24 and below are allowed to participate. Miss Ana James Gill will be defending her title whereas others players Mrs Tahira Nazir (Rawalpindi) Mrs Asma Shami (Garrison), Tahmina Rashid (GYM), Mrs Samia Javed Ali, Nighat Akram, Maryama Khan, Noorie Zaman Khan (Gymkhana), Zeb un Nisa, Ana James Gill (Royal Palm) and Ami Quin, Malhia Elahi and Zenat from Islamabad, are all set to snatch the title from her.