During the 5th Chairman Wapda Amateur Golf Tournament 2023, which concluded on Saturday at the Royal Palm Golf and Country Club, Qasim Ali Khan of Lahore Gymkhana won the major category championship. The WAPDA Sports Board sponsored the competition, which honoured the talent and tenacity of golfers from all throughout the nation.
As the main guest of the closing ceremony, former Vice Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ahsan Saleem Hayat (r), an avid golfer, was present. Along with other distinguished guests, Chairman Wapda and Patron-in-Chief Wapda Sports Board Engineer Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani (r) attended the award presentation event to celebrate winners and outstanding performances.
With a gross score of 219, Qasim Ali Khan won the main category championship by an astounding 8 shots. With a gross score of 233, Khalid Mehmood took third place, and Hussain Hamid took second place with a score of 227. Prominent amateur golfer Qasim has competed internationally for Pakistan, winning the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship this year among other competitions.
Ana James Gill of Royal Palm won the women’s net category, and Bushra Fatima of Garrison Greens took first place in the lady amateur gross category. Brig Anwar-ul-Haq of Garrison Greens won the gross category in the Veteran’s segment, while Javed A Khan of Gymkhana Club won the net category.
There were also invitational categories in the competition; the winners of the gross and net categories were Lt Gen Hilal Hussain® and Hamid Yaqoob Sheikh, respectively. Abdul Rauf Ali won the gross and Khalid Ch won the net in the senior amateur division.
During the welcoming comments, Chairman Wapda Engr Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani (r) highlighted the importance of sports, stating, “It is a historical fact that nations and their sports rise and fall together.” In light of this, Wapda has been essential to the growth of sports in Pakistan. He reaffirmed Wapda’s dedication to supporting national sports and athletes, highlighting it as a primary goal along with offering affordable, clean, and green hydel power and increasing water storage capacity.
All things considered, the competition was a huge success and featured amazing skill and perseverance from the participants. The Wapda organisers, who executed the event with the utmost professionalism, are solely responsible for its success.
“The Championship was vigilantly refereed by Ms. Munazza Shaheen, the only lady, a Level-III qualified Rules Official in Pakistan, who was present on the course from dawn to dusk,” specifically mentioned Col. Jameel.
The director of the tournament, Shahid Javed, received high marks for his commitment and professionalism. A substantial monetary prize for the marshals and ground crew was announced by Chairman Wapda, who also praised the excellent quality of golf course upkeep, which is overseen by Col. Jameel, Director Golf Royal Palm.
