Muhammad Munir leads the way as 39th Chief of Air Staff Open Golf Championship 2020 tees off

Muhamamd Munir ended the first day of the 39th Chief of Air Staff Open Golf Championship with a one shot lead over his rivals at the Airmen Golf Course, Karachi.

The seasoned veteran, started with a birdie on the first hole to give massive boost to his confidence while Shahbaz Masih stole the spotlight with a hole-in-one on the 6th hole to get his hands on a brand new Toyota Avanza. 

Munir, who last won the CAS title in 2017, ended the day with a score of 69 three-under par to claim the sole lead ahead of young golf sensation Ahmed Baig who shot 70 on the first day.

He came into the tournament after a spectacular meltdown at the opening event of the golf season in Karachi — the Rashid D. Habib Memorial Championship at the Karachi Golf Course — where he was a joint-leader at the end of the second round but finished a distant third. 

Strong gusts were blowing across the Airmen Golf Course on Thursday but Munir was unperturbed. He followed a birdie on the first hole with another on the third. He bogeyed the seventh hole but closed out a solid first round with further birdies on the 10th and 16th holes. 

Ahmed had also struggled to adapt to the windy conditions at the KGC during the Rashid D. Habib Memorial event and it seemed that the youngster widely hailed as the future of Pakistan golf had lost his magic touch. But he showed his composure by striking five birdies in his 70. 

Unlike Munir, Ahmed bogeyed his second hole but rebounded quickly with a good chip for a birdie on the next. He birdied his fifth hole but bogeyed the very next hole. It was the same story on the eighth and ninth holes where a bogey followed a birdie. 

On the back nine, he birdied the 12th and 18 holes, putting himself two strokes clear of third-placed Mohammad Nazir (72).

Defending champion Shabbir Iqbal is a further stroke adrift, tied on 73 with Mohammad Ashfaq, Talat Ijaz and Mohammad Alam. Five golfers are on 74 including Zeeshan Khan, Mohammad Zubair, Hamza AMin, Mohammad Tariq and Mohammad Saeed. 

Matloob Ahmed, the winner of the Rashid D. Habib Memorial title, had a below-par performance as he finished 12 shots off the lead with a 77 that featured seven bogeys.

While Shahbaz’s eagle on the par-3 sixth hole saw him claim a brand new Toyota Avanza for his feat but he had an otherwise disappointing day as he finished with an 83. His worst hole was the par-5 14th where he needed 10 shots to complete the putt.