Siddikur to spearhead local challenge

Bangladesh's premier golfer Siddikur Rahman will be hoping to use the Bashundhara Bangladesh Open as a springboard for a return to top form after enduring some tough times in the last two years. The two-time Asian Tour winner, whose last success on Asia's premier golf tour came more than three years ago, is expected to spearhead a 39-man Bangladeshi contingent in the third edition of the Bashundhara Bangladesh Open, which gets underway at the Kurmitola Golf Club tomorrow.

Siddikur, who finished last season in 16th position on the tour's Order of Merit, thinks he is doing pretty well despite not having won a title in a long time.

"There are shifts in a golfer's career due to internal reasons like injury, swing variation, etc. Those things had an impact on my not winning a big title in the last two editions," the 32-year-old golfer said at the pre-tournament press conference at the KGC auditorium yesterday. "However I don't think I'm doing badly. Finishing 16th on the Order of Merit is not bad, is it?"

Despite finishing 35th and 38th in the two editions on his home Asian Tour event, Siddikur did show glimpses of his best form last year when he finishing second in the Mauritius Open.  The ace golfer is hoping he finds his best form, or that any compatriot wins so that the trophy designed after the Royal Bengal Tiger stays at home since this tournament is believed to be the last of the Asian Tour events sponsored by the Bashundhara Group.

"I will be equally happy if it's not me but someone else from Bangladesh winning the trophy. The scores that have been set in the BPGA events recently augers well for this event," Siddikur hoped.

Indeed Shakhawat Hossain Sohel, who was the best local in both the previous editions, and Jamal Hossain Molla, who finished seventh last year, are two of the 38  other Bangladeshi golfers who will have a shot at the 54,000 winner's cheque come Saturday. The fact that this year the foreign contingent is supposedly not as strong as the previous two years will only increase the locals' chances.

The foreign challenge is expected to be led by the opening edition's champion Mardan Mamat of Singapore, India's Jeev Milkha Singh, American Johannes Veerman, in-form Shubhankar Sharma of India, as well as countryman Rashid Khan and American Casey O'Toole.

A total of 134 golfers from 23 countries will be vying for top honours in the 300,000-dollar event, which is the third leg of the Asian Tour schedule this season, informed speakers at the press conference, which was attended, among others, by Asian Tour director Jittisak Tapprasert, officials of Bangladesh Golf Federation, Kurmitola Golf Club and Bashundhara Group.