Shafiq Masih and Adil Jahangir fight odds to lead professional golf entourage in Pakistan
Among many of the pressing vows a sportsman of Pakistan has to face, it might come as a surprise that the country has 120-150 professional golfers who strive to excel in the sport with perhaps the bleakest of futures among other sports in the country. Lack
of institutional infrastructure, dearth of standard courses, absence of financial sponsorship and the overall downturn of the economy has confined the sport among the country’s elite, who often indulge in it to kill their leisure time.
Shafiq Masih and Adil Jahangir are two professional golfers, who have somehow managed to stay alive in the dying sport and are successful in making a living out of it. Like many professional players in the sport, Masih turned professional after spending
a lifetime caddying for the elderly rich. He recalled the times when he used to accompany his father in the Lahore Gymkhana Club to watch his cousin wrestle the rest of the field for the titles. The 35-year-old Masih comes from a humble background and is not
very hopeful to make it big in the coming years, in terms of financial outcome.
Masih says, “When I was young my worry was that my sisters get married before I do. I didn't think that could happen from playing golf so I started coaching, and even did a stint in Saudi Arabia after which I nearly left the game. But now, I can run my kitchen
from golf, this is my profession.”
Unlike Masih, Jahangir hails from a family which is financially better off than Masih and claims that he is probably the only professional player who has a degree in Business Administration.
Jahangir said, “I'm probably the only person with my education and background to turn pro [in Pakistan].” He turned professional last year after spending a long term on the Asian Amateur Tour for seven years. He found love for the sport during his trips
to the course with his father and used a custom-trimmed 7-iron as his first club.
Jahangir has been one of the most eloquent supporters of professional golf in Pakistan and was in fact phenomenal in persuading local players for the MENA golf tourney in UAE. He also actively participates in events across the country trying to muster up
official sponsorships for players and events in the country.
He added, “The talent is phenomenal here but lack of sponsorship is the biggest problem.”
Most players, who manage to rise above the rest, generally rely on individual sponsorships and donated equipment. This is just the tip of the ice berg. There are 20 events held in the country in a year, which has no more than 40 professional courses across
its length and breadth. The most revered of the events, the Pakistan Open has a purse of 3.5-million PKR, with a winner’s prize share of 595,000 PKR (approx US$7000).
A professional player who is able to play throughout the season can end up making a respectable 100,000 PKR a month, which although might just be a millionth of what a professional player makes on the PGA Tour or European Tour, but it is good enough to
help them survive. Pakistan’s military establishment has played a phenomenal role in the growth of the sport, to whichever extent it might be. Present Army Chief is also the patron of the Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF).
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