The first golfer from the country to play in the World Cup of Golf, Siddikur Rahman never imagined he would reach such a status in Bangladesh. The Kurmitola Golf Club, the cradle of his humble beginning, now identifies itself, as Siddikur’s home ground.
“Well done, well done!”- was the call of the people at the Kurmitola Golf Club, as Siddikur entered the club premises yesterday for the first time after the World Cup and his victory in the Hero Indian Open last month. The 29-year old was tranquil and graciously greeted fans and well-wishers. Siddikur is here for two or three more weeks before he takes part in Kings Cup in January.
Siddikur later spoke about his experience at the World Cup of Golf, the Hero Indian Open and the recently concluded Hong Kong Open.
Q: Being the first golfer from the country to represent Bangladesh in World Cup of Golf, how was the experience?
Unfortunately I couldn’t perform as well in the World Cup as I expected. But the experience I gained playing there will help me in the future. The golf course is a different, one something I never thought. My preparation was satisfactory and I thought I could finish at a respectable place in the world cup. The weather was one of the factors which I struggled to cope up with earlier. The course was also slippery.
The world cup experience was great. I would never have imagined what a great achievement it was for me if I hadn’t been there. It (Melbourne) was one of the best golf courses in the world, may be in top five. I have a plan that I will play in big tournaments in future and I think this world cup experience will help me do better there.
Q: This is probably the most eventful year of your career. Evaluate your performance this year. Are you satisfied?
Of course, I’m very happy. Because apart from Hero Indian Open, I finished in the top 10 in many tournaments this year. I was in the top 10 in seven tournaments out of almost 20, I think I’ve been the best player of the Asian Tour players this season. If you look at my stats, which I analyze very often, I’m very happy with my stats too.
Q: Do you think this is the best season in your career?
Yes, this year has been so good for me. I won Hero Indian Open and played well in most of the tournaments. After 2010, I finished second around seven times and finished in the top 10 in around 30 meets. There was stability in my performance, rarely been very poor in any tournament.
Q: There’s something inconsistent in your performances. In some tournaments, you were in contention to become champion but later ended second or third. How do you see that?
Actually, I have to work out more to solve this problem. Earlier I used to play “save” game but you can’t win with save strategy, but now I’ve changed that. I started playing aggressive and after that, I won the Hero Indian Open. I enjoyed it but I’m still working on reducing my errors so that I can play aggressive with control.
Q: You won two Asian Tour title, one in Brunei Open in 2010 and the other was the Hero Indian Open this year. Which achievement do you think is best in your career?
Of course, the Hero Indian Open. I played the best golf of my career there. The first title- I never even dreamt that I would have won that - created a way to go further in my career. Now, am confident that I could win any tournament.
Q: How was the response from others after you won the Hero Indian Open and also played the World Cup for the first time?
One of the top level players Adam Scott, with whom I also played in 2010, congratulated me when I met him at the World Cup. You can’t imagine, the green keepers in Australia also recognized me and congratulated me. I really feel proud for that.
Q: What is the reason behind the failure in the last tournament (Hong Kong Open)?
I’m physically not well. I had a bad cold and couldn’t sleep at night so it affected my performance. I’ve played in Hong Kong twice. The course is super but my performance has never been good there.
