MM News

MANILA: The three-member Pakistan team has reached Manila to participate in Nomura Cup Trophy, also known as the Asia Pacific Amateur Golf Team Championship, starting there today (Tuesday). The team comprises Saim Shazli (Karachi Golf Club), Damil Ataullah (Lahore Garrison Greens) and Saad Habib (Rumanza Golf Club, Multan).

The event will take place from November 15 to 18 at the Masters Golf Course of the Manila South Woods Golf and Country Club, Manila, Philippines. Lahore Gymkhana Golf Course has the honour of hosting the Nomura Cup in 1999.

It is a biennial amateur team golf championship for men in which aspiring for internationally acclaimed honours will be sixteen countries namely Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Japan, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Chinese Taipei, Guam, Hongkong, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Philippines and Pakistan.

Their selection is attributable to a resplendent performance in the four-day selection trials held last month at the Nick Faldo designed Rumanza Golf Course in Multan. Sixteen-year-old Saad Habib topped the trials with his scores of 74, 74, 71 and 73, fetched him an aggregate score of 292. Saim Shazli was runner-up with an aggregate 293 while Damil Ataullah secured third with an aggregate of 297.

This is the 29^th edition of the Nomura Cup and features 48 players from 16 APGC members and first tee off takes place on Tuesday, 15th November. Chairman of APGC, Taimur Hassan Amin of Pakistan, himself a six times Nomura Cup participant said, “Its with tremendous pride that we welcome this fabulous tournament back onto the schedule after a frustrating absence of five years.”

It may be recalled that on the last occasion that the Nomura Cup was contested at Sungai Long Golf and Country Club in Malaysia in 2017, victory went to the team from Thailand. Over the years, Australia has dominated the championship, emerging as winners 10 times, seven times winners have been Japan and Chinese Taipei on five occasions.