Pak golfers on Mission Possible

All the golfers — Mohammad Tariq, Munir, Mohammad Shabbir (Pakistan’ No. 1), Abbas Ali, Mohammad Siddiqui, Matlood Ahmed and Imdad Hussain — want to play in India. Both Matlood Ahmed and Abbas are like the majority on the Indian Tour. Both are caddie-turned-pros and their life is ‘‘just golf.’’ Imdad, the experienced of the lot, says, “We want to play in India and leave it to Allah for future progress in our quest.’’

Landing with valid visas up to June 15, the golfers were in a fix no sooner they finished the Pre-Qualifying Schools — a precursor to the main Q-School that began two days later. The visa problem, as Munir put it, was a ‘‘mix-up.’’ The embassy took into account the Pre-Q School event schedule while issuing visas. ‘‘But the issue was sorted out. We had to travel back to New Delhi, explain, and get the visas extended,’’ says Imdad.

He, however, adds that the exercise overshot their budget. ‘‘Still it was worth it.’’ According to them, the Indin visit could be more lucrative with an annual Tour. ‘‘Much more than back home,’’ they agree. Moreover, as Imdad — he has played pro tourneys on ‘exemption quota’ in Asia — says, ‘‘it’s a cheaper option.’’ Adds Abbas: ‘‘The option of travelling by bus or train makes it a cheaper proposition. We can’t do this if we were to travel to other countries.’’

The trip to India, according to the golfers, has been made possible by Dr. Nouman Idris Butt, a golf enthusiast, who runs a sports export business venture — Capital Sports Cooperation (Pvt) Ltd in Sialkot. ‘‘No one has done so much,’’ says Imdad, who has played the APGA Indian Open twice. ‘‘The best way to repay our debt to Dr Butt is to qualify — at least for his sake,’’ says Imdad.

Back home, the Pakistanis have no sponsors coming forward to encourage them. ‘‘At least in India we’ve heard of sponsorship given to those who excel, but back home even winning a tourney or two does not prompt anyone,’’ says Imdad, adding, ‘‘in India we plan to write a new leaf.’’

So does anyone want to follow the footsteps of Jeev Milkha Singh or Arjun Atwal? ‘‘I’ve played with them some time or the other,’’ says Imdad with proud. On the difference of standard, Matlood, the youngest of the lot, says, ‘‘Indians have reached higher levels. We should aim for that.’’

Having crossed the first test in flying colours, the next three days of Q-School will a jung (battle) for these wannabe professionals. ‘‘We want to enjoy the same way we do back home. Insha Allah, we can prove ourselves with even better performances to make our trip more meaningful, says Abbas.