First round of Bank AL Habib's 8th Rashid D. Habib Memorial National Professional Golf Championship was played at Karachi Golf Course on Thursday, 10th January 2019. Matloob Ahmed of Lahore Gymkhana leads on first day with 65-7 under par. Hamza Amin of Islamabad is runner up today with 66-6 under par while WaheedBaloch of KGC follows him with 68-4 under par. Last year's Defending champion Muhammad Shabbir Iqbal is holding seventh position with 69- 3 under par.

The golfers from all over Pakistan played at cloudy weather with clear visibility. The course is in excellent condition where the players despite wind were able to attack the pin because of hold on the greens. The pin placement by the organisers was however felt tough.

This year, the Main tournament will be played over 72 Holes from 10th to 13th January 2019 with cut over final 2 days as per Pakistan Golf Federation's (PGF) rules. The Senior National Professionals & Junior Professionals will also be playing in their respective categories concurrently.

As before, Appearance Money amounting to Rs. 500,000 will be distributed among top five golfers of Pakistan. The golfers also have three more days to call their lady luck and put a hole-in-one for taking Bank AlHabib's brand new 1300cc car.

The final round will be played on Sunday, 13th January, 2019, followed by Prize Distribution ceremony.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019