By Omar Khalid, IANS,
Karachi : Pakistan’s golf community erupted into celebration when the national team qualified for the Omega Mission Hills World Cup for the first time after finishing in the top three at the Asian Qualifier in Malaysia Saturday.
Muhammad Shabbir and Muhammad Munir etched their names in the history books when they guided Pakistan to their first World Cup with a superb display in the four-day event
Pakistan’s golf officials were delighted.
“It is great news for Pakistan golf,” Asad Khan, a member of the Pakistan Golf Federation, told IANS. “It is another proof that golf is the only sport in Pakistan that is on the road to progress.”
He said that Pakistan will now prepare hard for the World Cup to be held in November in China.
“Now that we have qualified for the World Cup, it is very important that we ensure that a well-trained team represents Pakistan,” he said.
A delighted Munir said: “Pakistan have played in the cricket World Cup, hockey World Cup and squash World Cup but never before in our history that we’ve been in golf World Cup. We showed that we are in there for the first time and hopefully we will be able to perform well in China.
“I don’t know how to describe how we feel right now. I’m sure everyone in Pakistan will be very happy,” he added.
Pakistan mixed their scorecard with four birdies against two bogeys before a nailing a crucial final birdie on the 18th hole to seal an historic debut against the world’s best in China in November.
Shabbir, who recently recovered from a long-term back injury, relied on Munir’s experience and said his partner steered them to third place.
“I couldn’t read the greens this week and I told Munnir that I was out of form. But he told me that he had confidence in me and he guided me along. That’s why we made the cut.”