Country’s first professional golfer Siddikur Rahman will rub shoulders with the game’s elite when he takes part in the PGA Tour-sanctioned CIMB Asia Pacific Classic in Kuala Lumpur from today.
Siddikur qualified for this tournament after earning a place in the Asian Tour Order of Merit. He is currently number nine in that list.
For the man from Madaripur, who has certainly created waves in the local sporting circles, it will be a major set up.
Englishman Luke Donald, ranked No. 8 in the world, is the highest among the players at the Mines Resort and Golf Club. The European Ryder Cup stalwart will be joined by a stellar cast that includes South Africans Ernie Els, a three-time major champion; two-time U.S. Open champ Retief Goosen and Tim Clark, who won The Players Championship in May.
“Golf is a global game now. People want to see the US players playing in Malaysia, China or Japan. New events like this tend to increase fan support for the game and create awareness that there are great places around the world to play golf in,” said Donald told the PGA Tour website.
Els, who came from behind to win the PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Bemuda last week, had never been to Malaysia prior to this week.
“As much as I’ve traveled in my 20 years as a professional golfer, this will be my first visit to this particular part of the world,” Els said in his weekly blog.
“And this week’s CIMB Asia Pacific Classic, a new tournament on the schedule, is the first PGA TOUR-sanctioned event in this region.
“It’s going to be quite a week and I’m really looking forward to it. From what I’ve heard the architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. has done a pretty amazing job (with the course). I saw some photos online last week and it looks quite impressive, with many of the holes adjacent to a huge lake.”
The Americans in the field are Rickie Fowler, Ryan Moore, Kevin Na, Ben Crane, Ricky Barnes, JB Holmes, Ryan Palmer, Heath Slocum, Tom Gillis, Kevin Streelman, DJ Trahan and Bill Haas, who has won two Tour events this year.
Three-time Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand; Korea’s teen titan Noh Seung-yul, the current No. 1 on the Asian Tour; and fellow countryman K.J. Choi will be among the local favorites.
Siddikur became the first Bangladeshi ever to win an Asian Tour professional golf tournament on July 31 when he lifted the Brunei Open title in Bandar Seri Begawan. Then, on October 2, Siddikur finished second in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters.
The total prize money is six million dollars and the winner will get $1 million.
It is the first PGA Tour-sanctioned event in Southeast Asia.
