Premier Bangladesh golfer Siddikur Rahman was making giant strides in the Macau Open after ending round two in pole position on Friday at the Macau Golf and Country Club.
After a stellar round one in which Siddik posted two-under-par 69, the Bangladeshi golfer went one better in round two carding an incredible five-under-par 66 to lead the rest of the pack.
Overall, Siddik has hit seven-under-par 135 as he smashed six birdies on the second day of the US$800,000 event, with just one bogey arriving in the 13th hole.
The six birdies came in the 3rd, 6th, 7th, 8th, 14th and 18th holes.
The 28-year old Siddik was leading his closest challenger Baek Seuk-Hyun from South Korea by a single shot, with marquee South African golfer Ernie Els hovering in joint-second position. Els, who is a two-time US Open winner, was also a shot behind Siddik.
Siddik was visibly elated after the end of round two, expressing his delight to the Asian Tour website on Friday.
‘It was a great round. Lovely weather and I felt good. My ball-striking was perfect and especially my putting all went in. Overall, it was really good,’ said Siddik.
The Madaripur golfer also had a good Macau Open campaign last year, finishing third and he was targeting a similar finish this year.
‘This is a placing course which I like very much. I finished third here last year and I have good thoughts. This week, I’m hitting it good and I’m enjoying myself. I’m in good shape,’ he said.
Siddik sounded upbeat when he was asked about the progress of golf in Bangladesh, saying that the game was getting popular and he went on to emphasise that he liked being recognised wherever he went.
‘Golf is getting popular back home. It wasn’t that popular six or seven years ago, but now it’s getting popular.
‘Nowadays, I get recognised everywhere when I’m back in Dhaka. I enjoy being recognised. It’s a proud feeling and it gives me energy,’ he added.
A long-time admirer of South African golfer Els, Siddik said that he was waiting
for a long time to pit his wits against Els, also a two-time winner of the Open Championship.
‘Ernie is my idol. I’ve been waiting for a long time to play with him. [In the] last few years, I’ve missed playing with him,’ said Siddik.
The 43-year-old Els, though, admitted that he was still in the dark over Siddik even after the completion of round two.
‘No, I must find out more. I’m the ambassador of the Tour now and I should know these things. Hopefully we’ll see [Siddik] over the weekend,’ said Els.
-With New Age input
