Taimur Hassan hails Omar Khalid over emphatic Faldo Series triumph

KARACHI: Taimur Hassan Amin, Chairman Asia Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), has praised Omar Khalid after the youngster won the Faldo Series Pakistan Championship by a record margin of 27 strokes at the Airmen Golf Club here on Sunday.

Taimur Hassan, who was instrumental in bringing the Faldo Series to Pakistan during his stint as Secretary of the Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF), said that Omar has shown great progress in recent times and hoped that he will go on to make his presence felt on the International scene.

“I am very pleased at the way Omar has performed in the Faldo Series by winning his age category as well as the overall championship. To win in such an emphatic manner shows that he has all the basic ingredients to become a world class player,” commented Taimur, regarded as Pakistan’s most celebrated golfer.

Last January, Omar rewrote history when he became the youngest ever player to win the National Amateur Championship of Pakistan and in doing that broke Taimur’s long- standing record as he had won the prestigious event at the age of 17.

“I hope that Omar continues his hard work and dedication to keep improving his game where he can compete against the best on the international stage. I am looking forward to him participating in the next Asian Amateur Championship later this year where he will not only play against the best in the Asia Pacific region, but will have the opportunity to participate in an event where the winner gets an invitation to participate in the US Masters and the Open,” he said.

“The Pakistan Golf Federation should pick a couple of boys and the best young lady from this Faldo series and send them abroad for formal coaching, this will not only encourage the youngsters but will prepare them for the bigger international scene. These kids are our future and we must invest in preparing them to put Pakistan on the world map of golf.

“Unfortunately, due to the spread of Covid last year we could not hold our regular events last year but this year the APGC is hoping to host our main calendar events such as the Nomura Cup, the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship, the APGC Queen Sirikit Cup, WAAP for ladies among other events. I look forward to the participation of our young players [both boys and girls] in all our prime tournaments,” he said.

“I would again like to congratulate Omar Khalid on an emphatic win in this year’s Faldo series and look forward to him bringing more laurels for himself, his family and Pakistan.”