Ashfaq claims thrilling victory at Sindh Open.

KARACHI -- At the turn, Mohammad Ashfaq was further in the clear; the one-shot lead he'd taken into the final round having stretched to three with the final nine holes to play. Two-time defending champion Shabbir Iqbal, though, wasn't going to relinquish the title without a fight and it set up an enthralling climax to the Sindh Open Golf Championship at the Airmen Golf Course on Sunday where Ashfaq eventually prevailed by a stroke.

Ashfaq and Shabbir both finished with two-under 70 over the last 18 holes, the former taking the crown with an overall score of five-under 211. Mohammad Munir's stunning bogey-free round of 64 saw him take third place at 214, edging his brother Mohammad Nazir (68) by a shot. Beyond them, Misal Khan (72) and Talib Hussain (68) ended at 218, one shot ahead of Akber Mehroz, who struck a 73 for a third straight round, and Waheed Baloch (72).

The race for the professionals' title, though, was between Ashfaq and Shabbir only and they combined to serve up a tantalising finale. Two holes into the back nine, consecutive birdies by Shabbir had seen him move level with Ashfaq. At his home course, though, Asfhaq wasn't going to be denied. Having bogeyed the 10th, he made his move with a birdie on the 16th and when Shabbir bogeyed the penultimate hole, even though he would fire a birdie to finish, the title was Ashfaq's.

The battle for third was similarly fraught with...