PESHAWAR
Promising Ami Qin, who made a Hole-in-One in the National Golf Championship recently, clinched the trophy of the first KPGA Soni Wali Ladies Amateur Golf Cup played here at PAF Golf Club.
In Category-A, Ami Qin won the first Gross with a score of 251 over 54 holes while Bushra Fatima got 2nd Gross with her gross score 261. Jasia Tassawar took the first Net trophy while Arooba Ali got the 2nd Net prize.
In Category B, Rameen Amin with her gross score 178 took the trophy, followed by Aisha Fozan who recorded a 182 gross score and Sameea Javed won third Gross trophy with her gross score 187. Similarly Rafaqat Abjad with a net score of 145 won the first Net trophy, followed by Sheharbano Hamdani with her Net score 146 and Uzma Khursheed with her Net score 150 took third position.
In Category-C, Amber Javed with her gross score 198 took the trophy, followed by Meerab Rizwan with 207 score took runners-up trophy and Memoona Azam with her gross score 213 got 3rd gross trophy. In the Net Category Dr. Ghazala Shams with her Net score 144 took first position, followed by Noor Us Sabah with 156 and Areeba Rizwan with her Net score 159 won third trophy.
In the Junior Girls Section, in which 12 girls of U14 participated, Areej Atif took first position, followed by Mysha Binte Mohsin. A special mention needs to be made of the performances of Rameen Amin, Meerab Rizwan, Ghazala Shams, Uzma Khurshid and Sara Amin who played 9, 8, 6, 4 and 3 under their handicaps respectively. This reflects very positively on the competitive spirit that has now got ingrained amongst the lady golfers.
This championship was held in the memory of Soni Wali, the pioneer of ladies golf in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. She became a role model for all lady golfers by winning the National Championship in 1976.
It needs to be appreciated that the planning and execution of this event was carried out by a Tournament Committee composed entirely of women, led by its Tournament Director, Dr. Ghazala Shams.
The Chief Referee, Munaza Shaheen, who is Pakistan’s first qualified Lady Referee, conducted this Championship strictly according to the Rules. The fact that the majority of the 45 participants in this event had come from all over Pakistan to pay tribute to the memory of their trailblazing Pathan sister late Dr. Soni Wali, clearly highlighted the sense of National Integration that Dr Asma Afzal Shami, Chairperson Ladies Golf, PGF has been able to inculcate among the women golfers of Pakistan. Prominent among them were Brigadier Nasira Shaheen and the legendary Mrs Tahira Nazir, both of whom had been Soni’s golfing contemporaries.
Brigadier Mudassar Syed was the chief guest at the flawlessly conducted prize distribution ceremony. The golfers were divided into three, handicap based, categories; A, B and C. This provided those with higher handicaps an opportunity to also win a prize. A special category for junior girls under 14 years was also included.
The idea of organizing the first KPGA Soni Wali Cup was conceived by Dr. Asma Shami, while the event was fully sponsored by Iqbal Wali, Soni’s brother and Ms. Rani Wali, Soni’s sister. Soni Wali’s memory lives on.
