It wasn’t the sort of start to the Asian Tour as Hamza Amin must have planned it for himself. The 26-year-old, who is the only Pakistani to have qualified for the Tour this year, was unable to make the cut at the US$300,000 SAIL-SBI Open in New Delhi last week after returning with cards of 75 and 74 in the first two rounds.

But Hamza, son of Pakistan golf legend Taimur Hassan, hasn’t lost heart after a disappointing showing in the season-opening event. He is optimistic of bouncing back at the next Asian Tour contest in the Philippines later this month. Hamza’s optimism springs from the fact that he played in New Delhi dogged by high fever and a bad throat and would do much better after regaining full fitness ahead of the Manila assignment.

The Austrian-born Hamza finished seventh at the Asia Tour Qualifying School Final Stage held at the Spring Field Royal Country Club in Thailand last month. With his top-ten finish Hamza earned the right to feature in all Asian Tour events including the major ones. He was the only Pakistan to win the honour this year as two of his compatriots -- former national champion Muhammad Munir and Aadil Jahangir -- failed to qualify for the Asian Tour.

He has been training hard with his father Taimur and his American coach Patrick McGuire for the last three years. "Both my father and my coach have been really helpful in enabling me improve my game and now I feel ready to compete on the Asian Tour including its major event," says Hamza.

In the US, Hamza gained vital experience by featuring on the Gateway Tour in Arizona. He also competed in a few events on the Mina Tour in the Middle East and had four top-ten finishes from seven appearances.

"I’ve been working hard and trying to gain as much tournament experience as possible," adds Hamza, who completed his Bachelors’ degree in business administration from a reputed Austrian University before switching his focus towards professional golf.

"Now my goal is to put Pakistan on the world golf map by making my presence felt on the Asian Tour and hopefully in bigger events all over the world," he says.

Hamza makes it clear that he is not in a hurry.

"The good thing is that I’ve qualified for all Asian Tour events which means that I can pick and choose tournaments during the whole season.

"My goal is to finish among the top-20 by the end of the year. There is no need to hurry as I’m still maturing as a professional golfer," he stresses.

Hamza believes that his father’s guidance has been extremely beneficial in his development as a golfer.

"My father is a great player and a great coach and I never feel pressured by his influence in the development of my game," he says. "He gives me a lot of advise, he guides me helps me and I believe that it is a great advantage for me to have such an experienced person supporting me all the time."

Taimur, a former secretary of the Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF), is by far the most accomplished amateur golfer the country has ever produced.

According to Hamza, Taimur’s best golfing tip for his son is "to always look forward no matter what".

"He has taught me to never look back and always focus on the next shot because thinking about past mistakes, while on the course, will contribute towards more mistakes," says Hamza.

Hamza is concentrating on the upcoming Asian Tour event in the Philippines to be played from March 13-16 but his main goal this season is to feature in the qualifying competition for the US Open in May.

His long-term target is to win an international title for Pakistan in his own backyard. "It would be great to win an international tournament in Pakistan and I hope that someday this dream of mine will come true," he signs off.