Siddikur eyes strong comeback on return

NEWDELHI:THE pressure of saving his Asian Tour card weighing him down for most of the season, Siddikur Rahman decided to focus elsewhere, like playing good golf for instance. “When I am happy, I play well,” he said. The effect was to be seen as he finished one shot off the lead, five-under 67, at the Panasonic Open on Thursday.

That he is at the Delhi Golf Club (DGC) is a source of joy, given his regular visits here since 2000. It was at Dhaka’s Kurmitola Golf Club that Siddikur hit his first shot with a broken seven-iron; DGC is where he recorded two landmark wins, the 2004 All-india Amateur Championship and 2013 Hero Indian Open. .

Happy to be at his “second home” after three years — he attributed the absence to his schedule, Siddikur showed no rust. Fearless as always on the tight fairways, the driver was used liberally, and a “good all- round” game ensured a bogeyfree round on the opening day.

Though early days, a turnaround could be in the offing, and if that’s the case, Sunday could be as critical as the week of the Indian Open five years ago that ended a three-year title drought on the Asian Tour. LEADERBOARD

66: Suradit Yongcharoenchai

67: Siddikur Rahman, Tapy Ghai,

Ajeetesh Sandhu

68: Veer Ahlawat, Rashid Khan, Peradol Panyathanasedh,

Jazz Janewattananond