KARACHI: The 22nd Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Open Golf Championship commenced Thursday here at Karachi Golf Club and last till August 20.
This announcement was made by Patron PN Golf Commodore Saqib Jamil Khattak during a media brief at Karachi Golf Club. Commander Karachi Rear Admiral Ather Mukhtar, Chief Executive UMA Sohail Shams and other sponsors were also present on the occasion.
The championship will be played in professionals, semi-professionals, amateurs, veterans, juniors and ladies categories. For professionals and amateurs categories, the tournament will be contested for 72 holes over a period of four days for which a sum of Rs7 million is being offered as prize money.
In addition, 36 holes matches for ladies and semi-professionals of Karachi Golf Club will also be held on August 10-11, with prize money Rs0.5 million and Rs0.1 million respectively.
The championship offers lots of other prizes for all categories.
In addition to the primary responsibility of safeguarding maritime frontiers of the country, Pakistan Navy has always played an effective role in social welfare, health and education, the Navy's Directorate of Public Relations said in a statement.
Other than these vital roles, Pakistan Navy also has the credit of being supportive to augment different sports in Pakistan. It has played a significant role in promoting sports at organisational, inter-services, national and international levels, especially in the fields of sailing, rowing, shooting, squash, hockey, cricket and golf, the statement read.
Pakistan Navy is cognizant of the significance of promotion of sports among the youth of the country and deserves the right to be proud of its efforts to revitalise hockey, the national sport of the country, with its untiring efforts. Like other games, golf is also on the list of sports, which the PN is working to promote, it said.
In 1995, Pakistan Navy instituted Chief of Naval Staff Open Golf Championship to add a national level golf event in the calendar of Pakistan Golf Federation. Ever since, the championship has become a regular and major event of national golf circuit.
The regular conduct of the championship since then is the manifestation of PN’s commitment towards promotion of this sport at national level, the statement added.