KARACHI: Moazzam Siddique was caught up with and surpassed but still remains in contention.

The overnight leader was still top after the front nine in the second round of the DHA Karachi Cup but three bogeys across the final nine holes saw him tumble down the leaderboard on Saturday.

It was Matloob Ahmed who took Moazzam’s place heading into Sunday’s final round, firing a five-under 67 to move to seven-under 137.

Matloob is one ahead of defending champion Ahmed Baig, who shot another round of 69.

Moazzam (72) is a shot further back, alongside Shabbir Iqbal, who is eyeing a fourth title in four weeks having successfully defended three of his titles in the recent past.

Pakistan number one Shabbir was on course to tie Matloob at the top but an uncharacteristic double bogey on the par-five 15th meant he finished with a 70.

Moazzam and Shabbir were caught up by Mohammad Naeem and Mohammad Shahzad, who returned identical cards of six-under 66. Shahzad fetched seven birdies, including four in the first nine holes while Naeem went bogey-free.

Hamza Amin (67) also catapulted himself into title contention as he moved to within three shots of the lead at 140. Alongside him are Mohammad Alam (71) and Minhaj Maqsood Warraich, who matched his first-round score of 70.

Talib Hussain (69) and Mohammad Safdar (71) are at 141 while Mohammad Munir and Mohammad Nazir are at 142.

With so many golfers bunched up so close at the top, Matloob has a job on his hands to retain his spot and end the title-winning run of his long-time rival Shabbir.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2022