It was yet another case of ‘so close, yet so far’ for Bangladesh’s ace golfer Siddikur Rahman as he narrowly missed out on his second Asian Tour title yesterday. The 27-year old golfer finished two shots off the eventual winner to take a share of the second position at the Panasonic Open in New Delhi Yesterday. Siddikur was superb with a four-under-par last round at the Delhi Golf Club as he aggregated nine-under-par 279, but local hero Digvijay Singh was even better as he delivered a flawless performance with a six-under-par last round for an aggregate of eleven-under-par 277 which earned him his first Asian Tour title. Gaganjeet Bhullar of India shared the second spot with Siddikur.
It was an intriguing battle in the last round as five golfers including Siddikur were in contention for the title till the very last hole. The overnight leader Ashok Kumar looked good for his maiden tour title with a one-shot lead till the 12th hole, but consecutive double bogeys in 13th and 14th put paid to the chances of the former Delhi Golf Club caddie.
Bhullar, a two-time Asian Tour winner, was in contention for most of the round but had to settle for second as he tipped his hat to Singh, who he said was the deserving winner.
For Siddikur, the prize was once again in sight but just out of reach. The 2010 Brunei Open winner has arguably been the most consistent player on tour as he ensured his 12th top-10 finish on the Asian Tour. The 27-year old rued his third round performance where he threw away a one-shot lead with a one-over-par 73. Siddikur fared pretty well in the fourth round when he managed six birdies along with two bogeys, but it was only good enough to earn him a second place cheque of 25,425 dollars. Siddikur said in the post-match presentation that it is only a matter of time before he wins his second title.
“It is disappointing to come so close on so many occasions. My second victory will come soon enough, I’m very confident of that. I played very well this week so I’ll take that confidence into the following weeks,” said Siddikur.
The day though belonged to Digvijay, who produced a grandstand finish with a 12-foot birdie putt for a six-under-par 66 to take home his first title.
-With The Daily Star input
