The third round of Bank AL Habib’s 15th Rashid D. Habib Memorial National Professional Golf Tournament saw defending champion Ahmad Baig (RPG) surge to the top of the leaderboard with a superb 67 (-5), bringing his three-day total to 208 (-8). Baig’s round featured eagles on holes 3 and 17, along with a bogey-free back nine, cementing his reputation as one of Pakistan’s most consistent performers.
Close behind was Waheed Baloch (KGC) who delivered another strong performance with a 67 (-5), climbing into second place at 210 (-6). His round showcased birdies on holes 2, 5, 11, and 18, demonstrating his mastery of the Karachi Golf Club layout. This kept Baloch firmly in contention as he headed into the final day.
Hamza Taimur Amin (RGCC) posted a steady 72 (E) to sit third at 212 (-4). Despite birdies on the front nine, a double bogey on hole 10 dampened his momentum but kept him within striking distance.
In contrast, Muhammad Minhaj Maqsood Waraich (RGC) suffered a setback with an 80 (+8), dropping to 218 (+2). This underlined the difficulty of Karachi Golf Club’s layout. The chasing pack includes seasoned campaigners like Muhammad Ashfaq (Airmen) and Muhammad Shabbir (MGGC), both at tied for third place with identical scores of 213 (-3).
Zubair, Alam, and Matloob Ahmed are clustered at 214 (-2), adding to the tightly packed leaderboard as the tournament heads into its final round.
In the Senior Professional category, Muhammad Tariq (ICGC), Muhammad Nazir (RGC), and Talib Hussain (ICGC) all scored 67 (-5) to share top position. In the Junior Professionals division, Muhammad Kashif (DHA) leads with a score of 72 (-1). Karan Masih (RGC), Rehan Baber (LGG), and Zain Ullah (OGC) are tied at 76 (+4).
Humna Amjad (RGCC) tops the Ladies Professional leaderboard with an overall score of 78 (+6), ahead of Ana James Gill (RGCC) who is tied at 87 (+15).
With 106 professionals starting on Day One and 52 making the cut, the third round has set up a thrilling finale. Tomorrow, Sunday 1st February, the final round will determine the champion.