Siddikur Rahman took charge of the leaderboard and finished at number one position after the first day of the Grameenphone Bangladesh Masters at the Kurmitola Golf Club on Thursday.
Siddik, the first Bangladeshi player to win an Asian Tour event, led the home charge by taking the early lead as his compatriots Mohammad Matin and Liton Howlader occupied second and third place respectively with a solid four under par (68) and three under par (69).
Japanese duo Hirotaro Naito and Yosuke Tsukada and Malaysian Rizal Amin shared fourth place with an identical score of 70 after the end of the first day.
Siddik lived up to his billing as the tournament’s top player when he made only 24 putts for seven birdies against one bogey, with a sizzling six-under-par 66 at the $75,000 Asian Development Tour event.
‘I couldn’t control my emotions last week and that led to some silly mistakes. It was much better today as I was able to maintain my composure and stay focused,’ said Siddik, who won the Brunei Open last season.
He believes the Grameenphone Bangladesh Masters, which is the curtain raiser to the Asian Development Tour season, will continue to inspire and act as a learning curve for the budding golfers of Bangladesh.
‘There are many things our professional players need to learn and through the Asian Development Tour they will be able to develop their game and continue to improve,’ Siddik added.
Matin surprised even himself when he hit five birdies against one bogey. The 39-year-old, a former ball boy at the Kurmitola Golf Club who learned his golf stick swinging with a tree branch, said golf in Bangladesh has taken a hundred per cent turn and it’s a very good sign.
‘We could not afford to buy golf equipment last time and had to rely on items such as tree branches or second hand golf clubs. Golf is much popular now and many youngsters are taking up the game. In time, with more professional events, I think golf will be even more popular,’ said Matin.
