Standing on the 17th tee in the third round of the 2023 Asian Tour Qualifying School at Lake View Resort and Golf Club in Hua Hin, Thailand, Ahmad Baig was at the cusp of creating a major slice of golfing history.

At -11 after the first 52 holes, Ahmad was perfectly placed at No.8 on the leader-board on a pleasant January afternoon. After scores of 66 (-5) and 70 (-1) in the first two rounds, Pakistan’s rising golf star was in his element on the third day making a flurry of birdies and a solitary eagle for a score of five-under in the first 16 holes. Had he continued like that, Ahmad would have comfortably become the first Pakistani professional to win a coveted Asian Tour card. He was at eighth position in a star-studded pack out of which the top 35 would get the card. An Asian Tour card means the world for any professional especially after the tens of millions of dollars injected by the Saudi-owned LIV Golf.

“Honestly, I wasn’t thinking about the card or all the millions that the (Asian) Tour has to offer,” Ahmad told ‘The News on Sunday’. “I was just focussed on my tee shot on the 17th,” he added.

The par-3 17th hole at the Lake View Resort and Golf Club isn’t a particularly tough hole. At 188 yards with a left to right tail wind, a 7-iron shot would have given him a comfortable par. “I didn’t hit a bad shot. It just went a bit too left, hitting the edge of the green. The ball bounced on the track and went into the jungle,” he said.

That’s where things started to go south for Ahmad.

“I went into the jungle that was full of thorns and managed to somehow chip it on the green only to make a three-putt,” he added.

A double bogey on the 17th made a dent in his card and later Ahmad struggled in the final two rounds to fall out of the race for qualification.

“It was really heart-breaking,” he said. “But I have overcome the disappointment of missing the card.”

Ahmad is now focussing on the plus points. Due to his performance in Hua Hin, Ahmad has earned the right to play the Asian Development Tour (ADT). Though not as lucrative or glamorous as the Asian Tour, ADT offers plenty of tournaments all over Asia carrying prize purses of USD 75,000 or above.

Ahmad is planning to feature in 10-12 ADT tournaments in 2023 and his goal is to finish among the top-10 players on the Tour. “The top ten ADT players automatically qualify for the Asian Tour,” he pointed out. “So that’s my biggest goal in 2023.”

To achieve this target, Ahmad is willing to skip tournaments on the national professional circuit, where he is regarded among the leading title contenders.

“If there is an ADT event clashing with a national tournament, I’ll opt for the ADT match because that’s my target. I want to excel at the Asian level,” said Ahmad, who is the reigning Pakistan Open champion.

At 24, Ahmad can comfortably succeed Shabbir Iqbal, the man who has dominated professional golf in the last two decades. But he has set his sights on targets higher than the Pakistani circuit which offers a handful of events offering substantial prize money.

“Our professional circuit is far from being lucrative and it isn’t growing either,” he said.

So instead of being a big fish in a small pond, Ahmad is willing to take his chances on the Asian circuit.

Ahmad is fully aware of the fact that by focussing on the Asian Tour, he would be serving as a pathbreaker for Pakistan’s aspiring professionals.

Pakistan have had limited success on the Asian circuit. Back in 1998, Taimur Hussain won the Myanmar Open by a solitary stroke. It remains the only win by a Pakistani professional at the Asian level.

“I know it won’t be easy,” he said. “But I’m confident that I will succeed. That’s because slowly but surely, I’m getting to the level where I would be able to compete with the best on the Asian Tour.

“Even in the Q-School in Thailand there were several prominent players from Europe, USA, Australia and Asia. Till a few years back I would have gotten intimidated. But in this match, I was able to give my best and now I know that I belong to that level. It’s just a matter of time.”

Salman Jehangir, Pakistan’s top-ranked amateur, who accompanied Ahmad to Thailand as his caddy, agreed. “Ahmad played brilliantly. His hitting was exceptional. We had some bad luck and there was some struggle with putting but overall, he was outstanding during the Q-School,” said Salman.

In fact, Ahmad was so impressive that he has inspired Salman to turn professional.

“I am seriously thinking about turning professional this year,” said Salman, who has two older brothers playing on the national professional circuit.

Ahmad is hoping that he would inspire more Pakistani youngsters to take up professional golf.

“It’s a big world out there for golfers. With the rise of LIV Golf, even the Asian Tour is offering millions of dollars. It’s a great time to be a professional golfer,” he said.

That’s true. Things have never been this good for Asian golf. Take for example next week’s Saudi International to be played at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club near Jeddah. The season-opening event of the Asian Tour will carry a prize basket of USD5 million and will feature some of the biggest names of the golfing world.

But the massive increase in the prize money on the Asian Tour is causing problems for aspiring professionals like Ahmad Baig since more and more players from the European Tour and even PGA Tour are making a beeline for Asia.

However, Ahmad doesn’t see it as a hurdle.

“I think it’s a wonderful thing. LIV Golf has put the spotlight on Asia. In the past I used to plan about moving to the USA and playing there but now I have a much better option where I can make my bones as a professional nearer to home.”

Though Ahmad is confident that 2023 would be his breakthrough year, there could be some stumbling blocks.

“Yes, the problems are there. One that I face the most is getting visas. Then there is the issue of finances. Playing abroad means a lot of expenses. The air fares have gone sky high. The depreciation of our currency means it will become much more expensive.

“But I have made up my mind. Hopefully, I’ll overcome these hurdles and make my presence felt at the international level.

“I want to be that player who swam against the tide and showed the way to those coming after me. I would love to be the pathbreaker that Pakistan golf has never had in the past.”

Ahmad wants Pakistan golf to follow in the footsteps of major golf-playing countries of Asia.

He believes that instead of looking elsewhere, Pakistan should take a leaf out of India’s book.

“In India they have a local professional tour, PGTI. At their last Qualifying event, professionals came from 52 countries looking for a PGTI card. They have progressed to the point where the Indian No.1 gets a direct card for the European Tour.

“Even in other countries where there was no golf, rapid progress is being made. During my visit to Saudi Arabia to play an ADT event recently, I was told that they are making five new courses across the country in the next few years. They are even taking steps to establish a Saudi professional golf tour.”

Ahmad is aware of the fact that countries like India and Saudi Arabia have deep pockets.

“I know that. But we have to start somewhere. There is immense talent in Pakistan. I know that for a fact. I have played with players from different nationalities and I can say that we don’t lack in talent. In fact, we are better than most. What we lack is training facilities. We don’t even have the basics. Then how can anyone expect us to just go to international events and win titles.”

Ahmad believes that Pakistan’s golf authorities should seriously think about hosting an Asian Tour tournament and two ADT events every year.

“That’s the most important step. We need such tournaments on home soil. Then we also need training facilities. We need to send our best players abroad for international experience on a regular basis.”

Ahmad is of the view that with proper planning, Pakistan golf can make rapid progress.

“Our players need support. If they have it, they can achieve wonders. But I would advise our players to work really, really hard. Golf is a punishing sport and only those who are fully dedicated can excel in it at the international level.”

Ahmad himself trains for 8-9 hours daily at the Royal Palm Golf Club in Lahore. He gets up early in the morning to hit the gym. He plays 18 holes and later spends hours practicing his short game. “There are no short-cuts in golf. The harder you work, the better you’ll get.”

Ahmad is undoubtedly the hottest property of Pakistan golf at the moment. But it wasn’t a cakewalk for him to get where he is right now. He started as a caddy like his older brothers at the Garrison Golf Club in Lahore. But thanks to the support of his brothers, he started playing full time. He emerged as a top junior and then established himself as Pakistan’s No.1 amateur, winning international titles like the Qatar Open in Doha.

“I have really worked hard to get where I am right now. But my journey has just begun. There is still a long way to go.

“Pakistan golf hasn’t taken off yet. You see, nobody in Pakistan knows players like Shabbir Iqbal, who has won 200 national titles. If Shabbir or I were standing at a golf club looking for a lift, nobody would stop for us.

“In stark contrast, during my recent trip to Thailand I saw a different story. Everyone knows and respects their leading players. It’s hard to miss them because their posters are everywhere you go. I hope someday our top golfers would also be treated like stars. It’s my aim to play my role in helping Pakistan golf get there.”

Khalid Hussain is Editor Sports of The News

Khalidhraj@gmail.com