KARACHI: A boy among men stood the tallest in the end, making history on the way.

It was a rousing performance; one that amplified the hype surrounding Omar Khalid being Pakistan golf’s latest wunderkind.

The 16-year-old on Sunday became the youngest-ever winner of the National Amateur Golf Championship with one of the best scores in the tournament’s 60-year history.

Starting the final round with a slender one-stroke lead, in a performance beyond his years, Omar sealed the contest on the front nine at the Karachi Golf Course.

He struck five birdies over the first nine holes, well on course towards beating the tournament’s record score for a round if he could repeat the same performance on the back nine, before eventually finishing with a 70 for an aggregate of four-over 292 over four rounds.

“After the front nine, I was able to relax a little because I’d built up quite a sizeable lead,” Omar told Dawn afterwards.

Nearest rival Umer Khokhar, the Pakistan number one, was already struggling and had fallen 10 shots behind after the front nine. Omar really was head and shoulders above the rest.

“I started the day wanting to play safe and protecting the lead I had,” added Omar. “I just wanted to focus on my game without looking elsewhere.”

Not that he could help. Umer was on the same flight as him.

“It was a disappointing day for me,” Umer told Dawn. “My driving wasn’t good and I was playing catch-up from the very beginning.”

Umer’s 80 saw him finish in a tie for fifth alongside Mansoor Teli (75) and Salman Khan (77), 11 shots behind Omar.

Ralfay Raja, who was alongside Umer at the start of the second round, ended in second place after he shot a 74 to finish on 297, two strokes ahead of Saim Shazli (72).

Qasim Ali Khan (73) and Salman Jahangir (75) tied for fourth at 303.

Elsewhere, Col Rustam Ali Chattha won the senior amateurs’ contest as he maintained his hold on top spot at the leaderboard over the three rounds.

Col Rustam shot a 71 for an aggregate of 224, as he finished eight shots ahead of Lt Col Asif Mehdi (75) and 10 ahead of third-placed Azhar Abbas (78).

Rimsha Ijaz took the ladies’ crown after winning the three-round contest with a score of 227. Her final round of 81 saw her finish seven strokes ahead of Ghazala Yasmin (78) while her sister Parkha (75) ended in joint-third at 236 with Humna Amjad (77).

It was Omar though who hogged the limelight with a breakthrough performance at the tournament.

The youngster, who idolises Rory McIlroy, started playing golf five years ago and is now looking ahead towards eventually turning professional.

“I want to turn professional in the next few years,” said Omar, who maintains a tough training regimen in order to help him realise his goals as he juggles his educational commitments with the sport he loves.

Performances like these will certainly help. And they do attract attention. The shy teenager will have to quickly get used to living with the hype; especially on days when he leaves the rest of the field trailing in his wake.

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2021