Bangladeshi golfer Siddikur Rahman was on the cusp of a second win on the Asian Tour after he ended the third round’s play in the Indian Open in first position.
Siddik hit a flawless five-under-par 67 at the Delhi Golf Club on Saturday to go four shots ahead of the closest challenger, India’s two-time Asian Tour winner SSP Chowrasia.
The 28-year-old Siddik shot an overall 17-under-par 199 while Chowrasia carded 13-under-par 203 and stayed four shots behind the Bangladeshi golfer.
Another Indian golfer, Anirban Lahiri, occupied fifth position after the end of the penultimate round’s play while his fellow countryman Jyoti Randhawa was languishing in 42nd position.
Siddik had a near perfect day as he avoided bogeys and double bogeys and struck five birdies in the 4th, 8th, 11th, 14th and 18th holes.
The Madaripur golfer’s only Asian Tour win came in 2010 in the Brunei Open and he has been leading the standings of the Indian Open since round one.
‘It has been a great week. This is the best I’ve played in my career. I’m putting and hitting the ball so well. Mentally I’m strong and I’m very much focussed,’ Siddik was quoted as saying on the Asian Tour website.
‘When I won in Brunei, I had to play safe because I wanted to save my Asian Tour card and make some money to survive on the Tour. Now, I’m not playing for money. I’m hungry for achievements, so that’s my target.
‘If I can play like how I’ve been playing, then I think I can easily win,’ said Siddik.
The Indian Open is one of two warm-up tournaments ahead of the World Cup of Golf, scheduled to be held in Melbourne from November 21-24.
Siddik will participate in one more tournament, the Australian Masters, from November 14-17 before starting his preparations for the World Cup of Golf where he will be one of the 13 Asian golfers taking part.
The Indian Open has prize money of US$ 1.25 million including $198,125 for the winner.
-With New Age input
