The 42nd Punjab Open Golf Championship, supported by the Punjab Golf Association, showcased a thrilling day of golf at the picturesque Lahore Garrison Greens Golf Course.  

Friday's round spotlighted Pakistan's top professional golfers, who battled both bright sunlight and a biting chill throughout their 18-hole journey. Despite well-timed shots by the star players, the cold seemed to impact their putting precision, leading to higher-than-expected scores for some of the favorites. 

Nevertheless, elite golfers like Matloob Ahmed of Lahore Garrison and Ahmed Baig of Royal Palm stood out with impressive under-par rounds. Minhaj Maqsood and Muhammad Munir, both from Rawalpindi Golf Club, also caught the eye with their under-par performances. Muhammad Sajjad from Airmen Golf Club showed his mettle by carding a commendable par 72. 

Five golfers concluded Friday's round with a gross score of 73, including Kashif Masih (Lahore Garrison), Syed Raza Ali (Rumanza), Zohaib Asif (DHA Karachi), Waheed Baloch (Karachi Golf Club), and Tahir Bashir (Lahore Garrison Greens). 

Nine participants ended the day with a gross 74, namely Muhammad Safdar (Gujranwala), Talat Ijaz (Lahore Gymkhana), Ashir Masih (Gymkhana), Muhammad Alam (Lahore Garrison), Ansar Mehmood (Margalla Greens), Hamza Amin (Islamabad), Muhammad Imran (Defence Raya), Salman Akhtar (Gymkhana), and Muhammad Shahzad (Lahore Garrison). 

Saturday's round promises to be filled with excitement, as the frontrunners from Friday aim to enhance their performance and showcase their golfing prowess. 

In the amateur section, Nouman Ilyas of Lahore Garrison leads with a gross score of 73, followed closely by Saim Tahir of Garrison, two strokes behind. Salman Jehangir of Lahore Gymkhana trails with a gross of 77.