Shabbir and Munir reach Malaysia to represent Pakistan

KARACHI - Pakistan's Shabbir Iqbal and M Munir have reached Malaysia to join other sixteen countries who will vie for three places at the top of the event to book a place for the world event to be played in Mission Hill, China. The four-day event will be played in Ptaling Jaya which starts today. The format of competition will be the same as the Omega Mission Hills World Cup, with four-ball (better ball) being played in the first and third rounds and foursomes (alternate shot) used in the second and final rounds. Asian qualifier is not merely a trial event for Asia for Omega World Cup but it is also a money earning opportunity for the professional over four day event in which the contestants would earn good money if they finish amongst the top ten to five. Both Shabbir and Munir were picked by Pakistan Golf Federation on the basis of their ranking at Asian level. Shabbir has been ranked 57th and Munir 59th. Bangladesh withdrew from the World Cup Asian qualifiers event after their top star Siddikur dropped the idea of travelling to Petaling Jaya to attend to his ailing father in Dhaka. Meanwhile, some national professional golfers have taken exception to the criterion picked to select Pakistan team for the qualifier. Their main objection is that if Asian ranking was treated as basis for selection for the qualifiers, than only hand full lucky professionals, who sometimes are sponsored by the PGF, would get the chance to earn Asian ranking points. They said that Pakistan team selection for international events should be based on national score average ranking and also on money earning ranking on domestic circuit so that every professional who play at the pro circuit at home get fair chance to get a place. The professionals who are in belligerent mood these days after being told that soon they would have their independent Pakistan Professional Golf Association that will conduct the professional side of the game in Pakistan, have indicated that they certainly would take up the issue of selection system and make it more fair and transparent for every pro. In the meantime, the three member committee set up by the PGF AGM last February has cleared the deck for initiating the move that finally culminate in the creation of Pakistan Professional Golf Association. The President of the PGF has formally agreed to look into the demand of the professionals having their own body but had tasked the three member committee to meet the representatives of the professionals to hold discussion with them and lay down a plan to make a professional body could be completed.