KARACHI: As expected, Shabbir Iqbal whisked to a comfortable victory in the Pakistan Open, winning the country's most prestigious golf crown by nine strokes in Islamabad on Sunday.

Shabbir, the reigning Pakistan number one, was in top gear during the entire four-day spectacle with scores of 65, 66, 71 and 70 to pocket the winner's cheque of Rs247,000 from the lucrative prize basket of Rs1.5 million offered by the Pakistan Golf Federation.

He had propelled himself to a commanding position after just two days of play and just needed to keep his cool during the second half of the tournament to ensure a title-winning triumph.

Muhammad Munir finished as the runner-up and was followed by his younger brother Nazir and Muhammad Siddiq, who took the joint third position in the tournament. Experienced professional Matloob Ahmed finished fifth.

Karachi youngster Muhammad Ali Hai triumphed in the amateur event of the Pakistan Open Golf Championships ahead of Wasim Rana and Muhammad Safdar.

General Ashfaq Kayani, Chief of Army Staff and President PGF, was the chief guest at the prize distribution ceremony on Sunday evening.