LAHORE: Syed Saim Shazli of Karachi Club retained his top position on the second day of the trials being held at the Nick Faldo designed

Rumanza Golf Course in Multan for selecting the national team for Nomura Cup Asia Pacific Amateur Golf Championship being staged in the Philippines next month.

Young Saim after two rounds aggregated 146 compiled through a brilliant gross 69 in the first round and a slightly mediocre 77 in the second round on Saturday.

Only one stroke away is Lahore Garrison Greens’ Damil Ataullah whose two-round aggregate is 147 (73 in the first, 74 in the second).

Damil is sharing this position with Lahore Garrison’s Capt Zainurrehman who came up with the only under par round of the second day.

Rao Mohammad Hassan and Saad Habib Malik of Rumanza Golf Club are placed at a two-round aggregate of 148.

Capt Zain scored 76 in the first round and backed it up with a gross 71 on Saturday.

Other contestants in contention include Umair Saleem (149), Irtiza Hussain ,Hussain Hamid and Ralfay Raja (150) while Osama Nadeem, Abdul Moiz and Salman Jehangir are at 151.

The cut was enforced after two rounds and only 22 contenders will play over the remaining two rounds.

Meanwhile in the race for selection in senior amateur category, the top performer in the opening round was Tariq Mehmood (gross 78) of Lahore Garrison followed by Azhar Abbas (79) of the DHA and Rawalpindi’s Shahid Warraich (80).

DHA’s Shafiq Bhatti and Omar Zia are bracketed at 82 while both Raja Asif Mehdi and Maj Shoaibuddin are at 83.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2022