Ahmed Baig wins U21 category of 12th Faldo Series Asia Grand Final

Pakistan’s fastest emerging golfer, Ahmed Baig, added another feather to his cap on Saturday by winning the under-21 category of 12th Faldo Series Asia Grand Final in Vietnam. 

He is first Pakistani to do so.

Ahmed, who is considered one of the best golf talents from Pakistan, scored 6 under to hit 207 and win the three-day long championship comprising 54 holes.

He, however, finished fourth in the overall gross championship with 9 strokes behind the eventual winner Suzuka Yamaguchi of Japan, who is also the champion of U21 girls category. New Zealander Hiroki Miya and Japan’s Arina Hiraki finished second and third respectively in overall gross.

Yamaguchi is also the first woman to win the overall championship.

19-year-old Ahmed started off well by hitting under 4 to score 67 on the opening day of the championship, on the second day he played four bogies and one double bogey to end the day with a score of one over. On the third and final day of the championship, Ahmed made a comeback to score three under (68) to regain his position on leaders’ board.

Had it been a good second day at the course for him, he would have been able to finish among top three in the overall gross championship as well.

Overall, Ahmed scored 17 birdies during the championship played at lush green Laguna Lang golf course in Vietnam. However, 7 bogies and 2 double bogies during the championship tested his nerves during the course.

Nathen Tan En Quan of Singapore was second with three strokes behind Ahmed while Japan’s Hayato Yoshida and Indonesia’s Kevin Caesario were jointly third in boys U21 category.

Ahmed had earlier won the Pakistan Championship of Faldo series golf that was held in Karachi in January.

Boys under 18 title went to New Zealand’s Hiroki Miya while Taiwan’s Chen Ting Yu won the boys U16 category of championship.