Shabbir Iqbal wins 11th DHA Karachi Cup All Pakistan Open Golf Championship

Shabbir Iqbal won the 11th DHA Karachi Cup All Pakistan Open Golf Championship after eradication a nine shot deficit on the final day of the competition at Defense Authority Country and Golf Club, Karachi.

Pakistan's number one golfer finished the penultimate round of the competition nine shots off the pace and was seemingly out of contention for the top spot held jointly by Islamabad’s duo of M. Tariq and Hamza Amin. 

While Tariq and Hamza crumbled under pressure in the final round at the Defence Authority Country and Golf Club, Shabbir gave his best when it mattered most.

After carding scores of 72 and 76 in the opening rounds the seasoned pro recorded a stunning final day score of six-under par 66 to force a three-man play-off before winning  it to regain the Rs 5.5 million DHA Karachi Cup in dramatic fashion.

While Shabbir was in top gear, Tariq was unable to take advantage of his lead as he carded three-over 75 in the final round. Hamza, meanwhile fared even worse, as he returned with a card of 78 to fall out of the race for the title. Hamza was in with a chance to win the prestigious trophy till the 15th hole but a bogey on the 16th followed by a triple bogey on the par-3 17th ended his title hopes.

Meanwhile, Shabbir was on a roll, scoring eight birdies on 4th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 13th, 15th and 18th holes

The talented Muhammad Nazir carded 68 to make it to the playoff.

Defending champion Matloob also launched a late charge with a final round card of four-under par 68 but could not make the final cut.

The trio of Tariq, Shabbir and Nazir finished with three-day aggregates of 214 and there was a playoff to decide the winner. On the first playoff hole – the par-4 10th — Tariq and Shabbir made birdies while Nazir fell by the wayside after a par. Both Shabbir and Tariq had pars on par-3 17th. Shabbir managed a par on the par-4 18th but Tariq had a bogey allowing the former to win the title.

In the amateurs’ category, Zubair Hussain carded 74 to win the title by a healthy margin of six strokes. Sajid Khan was the runner-up while M Shareef finished third.

Earlier, Asad I.A Khan, Omar Khalid and Aanya Farooq won the seniors, juniors and ladies gross titles of the championship.

The championship concluded with a well-attended prize distribution ceremony where Administrator DHA, Brig Ibrar Hussain Bhatti, was the chief guest.