Junior golfers hope to shine in China

KARACHI: Pakistan’s three-member national junior golf team will fly out from here on Tuesday night to the tropical Chinese island of Hainan to feature in the Mission Hills Jack Nicklaus Junior Golf Championship 2018.

The national team featuring Junaid Irfan, Hamza Shikoh Khan and Omar Khalid will be taking part in the three-day championship to be played from June 1-3 at Mission Hills, the world’s largest golf course, in Haikou, Hainan (China).

Commodore Ghazanfar Abbas, COO of the Karachi Golf Club, will be accompanying the team as the manager.

Junaid and Hamza will compete in the 15-17 age category competition while Omar will be contesting in the 11-14 category.

The national team’s visit to Haikou is part of the Pakistan Golf Federation’s plans to boost the game at the junior level.

“Our emphasis is on the youngsters because they are the future,” says General Hilal Hussain, President PGF.

“We want to train them and give them ample international exposure so that the youngsters can become world class players,” he added.

The team was primarily selected on the basis of the players’ performance in Faldo Series Pakistan, a three-day tournament which was held in Karachi earlier this year.

“Junaid, Hamza and Omar are among our leading junior players and I’m confident that they will gain precious international experience and exposure from the visit to China,” said Asad I.A Khan, PGF’s Chairman of Selectors, and President Sindh Golf Association.

The stakes will be high for the national players with an invitation being extended to the Nicklaus Junior Championship in the USA this summer.

The top-three players in each age group will have the opportunity to compete in the event, which will be played from June 20-21 at Palm Beach County, Florida.

Among the trio, only Junaid has prior international experience having represented Pakistan in Sri Lanka.

“I’m really excited about the event and am confident of giving my best in China,” said the 17-year-old who has won many junior titles in the past.

Hamza, 17, is also itching to play at Mission Hills.

“Going to China and playing in the Jack Nicklaus Championship would be one of my greatest achievements and I look forward to it,” said Hamza, a student of Karachi America School who has many junior titles under his belt.

Omar, 13, is also excited about the event and is hoping to make his presence felt at Mission Hills.

“It is like a dream come true for me as I will be representing Pakistan in China. I hope to give me best there.”

Before their departure, the players received a detailed lecture from Commodore Ghazanfar about the mental aspect of the game.

Ghazanfar is a member of the PGF Executive Committee and is also Vice President of the Pakistan Olympic Association. He is counted among the top shooters in the country and is also an avid golfer.

Around 110 female and male junior golfers, from more than 10 nations will compete over 54 holes on the Sandbelt Trails Course at the Mission Hills Haikou resort.

With World Amateur Golf Ranking points and China Golf Association Junior Ranking points on offer, the 2017 Mission Hills Jack Nicklaus Junior Golf Championship will feature several of China’s top-ranked juniors and has become one of the premier events on the Asia Pacific amateur golf calendar.