KARACHI: Shabbir Iqbal has built his reputation as Pakistan’s top golfer with some sensational come-from-behind victories over the years.

Add this year’s DHA Open Golf Championship to that list as well.

In a mesmerising show of his enduring class during Sunday’s final round, Shabbir made up an nine-stroke deficit to force a three-way playoff for the title which he eventually won.

He had been so good that even when the championship went to a playoff, it seemed the title was a given for him. Even if it went to three holes.

Shabbir was fighting against Mohammad Tariq, the leader at the end of the second-round, and Mohammad Nazir. Nazir was eliminated after the first before Shabbir and Tariq matched each other on the second. He sealed the title in style, with a birdie on the third.

At the first two tournaments at the turn of this year, Shabbir had been second-best. On both those occasions he had a lesser deficit to recover from in the final rounds: four strokes in the Rashid D. Habib Memorial Tournament and just one in the CAS Open.

Nine strokes then seemed too much of a gap to bridge. Not for Shabbir though, who struck seven birdies in a 66 to finish level on two-under 214 with Tariq (75) and Nazir (68).

Tariq had suffered a heartbreaking playoff loss to Matloob Ahmed at the CNS Open last year and he seemed to be on course for his first title in Karachi with a steady showing on the first seven holes in which there was a birdie on the fifth.

But things began to unravel for him when he double-bogeyed the eighth and at the end of the front nine, he was four shots ahead of Nazir with Shabbir lurking five behind.

Shabbir had hit birdies on the fourth, seventh and eighth holes and carried the same momentum on the back nine, firing a birdie on the 10th. He bogeyed the 11th but recovered quickly to sink a birdie on the 12th, 13th and 15th holes to put himself in position for the title tilt.

Tariq, meanwhile, bogeyed the 13th and the 16th holes to relinquish his position as the sole leader. In a playoff against a rampaging Shabbir, he was always going to be second favourite.

Beyond the top trio, Mohammad Munir (74), Mohammad Alam (70) and Ansar Mehmood (75) finished level on 217, a stroke ahead of both Matloob Ahmed (76) and Sajjad Khan (73).

Hamza Amin, who started the day only two shots off the lead, finished on 219 after a 78. Hamza’s chances of overhauling Tariq in the final round had come to an end very quickly when he bogeyed the first two holes. His misery was compounded with a triple bogey on the 17th.

Young sensation Ahmed Baig, fresh from winning the CAS Open last week, had a disappointing tournament with his 75 seeing him finish on 223.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2020