Pakistan makes golfing history

Saturday, September 12, 2009 3:13:00 PM | Comments (0)

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SINGAPORE: When Pakistan qualified for the Omega Mission Hills World Cup, it marked the first time that the country had qualified for this event (to be held in November), and it also placed them ahead of traditional Asian golfing nations such as Malaysia, reports the Business Times.

Muhammad Shabbir and Muhammad Munir shot a three-under-par 68 in the final round foursomes to finish third behind winners Singapore, represented by Lam Chih Bing and Mardan Mamat, and the Philippines pair of Mars Pucay and Angelo Que.

'It's a great feeling and I'm very happy,' says Munir in a recent phone interview with BT. 'When we came back to Pakistan from the World Cup qualifiers, there were more than 300 people to greet us at Islamabad airport. The Pakistan Golf Federation was also there with journalists and cameramen, all so happy with our qualification.' He adds: 'There was a lot of excitement and now everyone in Pakistan knows that we have made history and qualified for this tournament.'

Munir, 34, started playing golf at the age of 17 when he was working as a spotter (a person who assists the caddy by locating the ball after a player has hit it) at Islamabad Golf Club. He lived near the golf course and the club gave him an opportunity to take up the game by providing coaching and equipment. He's done pretty well since, winning over 70 tournaments in the domestic league - he also plies his trade on the Asian Tour whenever possible.

Pakistan may be traditionally stronger in other sports - it has been representative at the top level in cricket, squash and hockey for decades, yet golf has also been around in the country for a number of years. The Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF) was formed in 1960 and currently has all the country's 40 golf clubs (both 9 and 18-hole) registered with the Federation.

While there are no public courses at present, land has been given to the PGF by the government to build one within the next few years. There are 153 registered A and B Class playing professionals and there is a domestic golf tour run by the PGF and its five provincial associations. It holds between 15 and 20 tournaments a year with each event worth about one million rupees (S $17,000).

One event is the Pakistan Open which has been organised by the PGF since 1967. In 2005, it signed an agreement with the Asian Tour to stage the Open for three years, starting with the 2006 season, with total prize money of US $200,000 and increasing to US $300,000 a year later.

However, due to security concerns after the assassination of former President Benazir Bhutto, the tournament didn't return in 2008. 'We're really looking forward to the event coming back and are constantly in touch with the Asian Tour to see when we can come back on the schedule,' says Taimur Hassan, secretary of the PGF and a former Pakistan National and Open champion.

Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hla Han says: 'We have held the Pakistan Open on the Asian Tour Schedule in the past and there are efforts taking place to revive this championship.' He adds: 'Pakistan's successful campaign in the Omega Mission Hills World Cup Asian Qualifier will certainly serve as a wonderful inspiration for the emerging golfing nations in the sub-continent. There have been players coming out from Sri Lanka, Pakistan and recently Bangladesh in recent years to play on the Asian Tour and it will slowly have a snowball effect for the game to grow.'

In a sign that golf is on the upswing in Pakistan, an official teaching programme was introduced in 2006, and it is being funded by golf's governing body, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A). 'So far through this programme we have 42 teaching professionals of different levels who have passed the exams,' says Hassan.

'This is an ongoing work in progress and is greatly appreciated by the professionals here in Pakistan. Along with the teaching programme we now have an active junior programme run by the PGF.' In addition, the president of the PGF, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who is a keen player, wants to continue to develop the game within the country. One initiative he has introduced is to ensure that all clubs encourage, not refuse, all juniors from playing golf.

Bangladesh is another country on the Indian sub-continent which is hoping to raise its golfing profile. This year, Siddikur, 25, achieved a breakthrough by becoming the first ever player from Bangladesh to earn playing rights on the Asian Tour. Prior to joining the AT, the former ball boy at Kurmitola Golf Club had worked to support his studies.

He turned pro two years ago and has tasted success on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) by winning three tournaments there as well as others in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal. There are around 25 golf professionals in Bangladesh and Siddikur sees many more opportunities for players keen to take up golf or take the pro route.

'As I and others have had success over the years, more players are coming up and the clubs have given a lot of support to them,' he says. 'Our country wants to develop more good golfers so they are supporting and letting people play.'

He adds: 'Some of the clubs are now sending amateur teams to compete in overseas tournaments, which is good for the players and good for the country. I think that my success, partly, has encouraged people to take up the game.'

Han is also keen for things to develop in the country in the future: 'Bangladesh is a new market for professional golf and we will be very interested to see if there are opportunities for the Asian Tour to develop a professional tournament there.'

He adds: 'This year, we welcomed Siddikur as the first Bangladesh player to make it through the top-40 of our Qualifying School. In the past we have also had players like Muhammad Munir of Pakistan and Anura Rohana of Sri Lanka competing on the Asian Tour. I know there are several players from these three countries who are competing on the Indian Tour and it will not surprise me if they eventually start competing on the Asian Tour.'

Hassan is hoping for interest to take off in Pakistan as a result of the country's World Cup qualification. 'Every time you hit a headline like this it stirs up a lot of interest,' he says. 'But you have to have a system in place - teaching, grading and so on - and the most important thing is to provide opportunity.'

He adds: 'Everyone has a chance now with amateurs and youngsters able to play. We're organising more tournaments and the future looks quite bright. We have enough talent here in Pakistan for many sports, such as cricket and hockey - at the same time we also have enough golf talent.' SAMAA MONITORING