Asian Tour star Siddikur Rahman will break new ground as the first ever Bangladeshi player at the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf, which starts today, and he intends to mark the occasion with a strong showing at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
‘I’m really excited and I’m glad to play in this tournament. I’m proud with what I have achieved. I have received a lot of messages from my fans and friends on Facebook and emails and they are encouraging me to play well and it’s good for me and good for golf in Bangladesh,’ Siddik told the Asian Tour website (asiantour.com) on Wednesday, the Bangladeshi golfer’s 29th birthday.
Two weeks ago, he won the Hero Indian Open for his second Asian Tour title, which will ensure he finishes in the top-10 of the Order of Merit for the third time in the last four years, an impressive feat for a player who hails from a nation with very little golfing culture.
Siddik hopes his historic ride at the World Cup of Golf, which offers $7 million in the individual category and $1 million in the team category for nations with two players in the event, will accelerate the growth of golf in his country.
‘In the past, some people may not follow golf but now, more and more people are following golf especially when I have managed to play well,’ he said. ‘They are now cheering me on which is quite inspiring.’
‘Honestly, I never ever thought about being a good professional golfer on the Asian Tour or play in the World Cup or in the Olympics.
‘It wasn’t even in our dreams. But now, the dream has come true and it’s the first time I’m participating in the World Cup and I’m expecting I can qualify for the Olympics as well (in 2016) as the qualifying system is similar.
‘One by one, the dream is coming true and it’s happening nicely. It feels really good.
‘Since I’m doing well now on the Asian Tour, golf is now becoming more popular in Bangladesh. Many young potential players are coming through.
‘The government is also thinking about golf and taking more initiatives to support the game. Nowadays, I see young potentials coming up and I do hope they will become better than me,’ added Siddik.
With his confidence still high following his Indian Open victory a fortnight ago, Siddik, one of the straightest hitters on Tour, knows he must master the tricky greens at Royal Melbourne to mount a title charge.
‘This kind of greens, it’s my first experience playing on them. I played really good [at the Australian Masters last week] but it took me a long time to learn about them,’ said Siddik, who missed the cut in Masters.
‘I absolutely had no idea about these greens but I’ve practiced a lot on the greens the past few days and I think I’m doing good now. It’s the first time I’m playing on such fast and tricky greens in my life,’ he said.
‘My confidence is still there. Even though I missed the cut last week, everything is still good, I just need to putt better.
‘I missed some putts last week but I guess it takes time to learn. I hope if I can I putt well, I can be amongst the leaders this weekend with some good scores. The key will be to manage my game well on the greens.’
-With New Age input
