Siddikur celebrates Grameenphone victory
Ireland's Justin Brink fired a final round 69 at the Grameenphone Bangladesh Masters on Sunday to finish in a share of eighth place - Ross Canavan of England - on one under par in his debut of the Asian Developmental Tour at the Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka.
Local star Siddikur completed a remarkable wire-to-wire triumph on Sunday and immediately reiterated his desire of spearheading the continued growth of golf in the country.
Siddikur posted a final round score of three-under-par 69 for a 19-under-par 269 total to run away with the title at the US$75,000 Asian Development Tour event.
Md. Milon Ahmed of Bangladesh secured second position with a 72 for a 281 total, 12 strokes behind Siddikur while amateur golfer Md. Jakiruzzaman (68), also of Bangladesh and flamboyant Japanese prospect Yosuke Tsukada (74) shared third place on a 284 total at the Kurmitola Golf Club.
“I want to dedicate my victory to Bangladesh. This is the first time the Asian Development Tour is organized here and it was great exposure to the professional golfers in Bangladesh,” said Siddikur, who won US$13,125.
Siddikur got off to a strong start, sinking three consecutive birdies from the first hole before returning with three further birdies against as many bogeys.
Since his victory at the Brunei Open last season, Siddikur has continued to fly the Bangladeshi flag on the international stage and he is determined to continue his mission in the new Asian Tour season.
“This victory will help me prepare for the Asian Tour season and it will give more confidence when the new season starts,” he added.
Milon, who started his golfing journey with Siddikur as a ball boy at the Kurmitola Golf Club, rued a cold putter as he closed with three birdies against three bogeys.
He was ecstatic with his experience of playing in his first Asian Development Tour event and hopes to one day follow in the footsteps of his close friend Siddikur.
“There are bigger things ahead for golf in Bangladesh and we are all inspired to follow the path of Siddikur. Finishing second behind him is a good result for me and maybe one day I will join him on the Asian Tour,” said Milon, who partnered Siddikur in the 2009 World Cup Asian Qualifier in Malaysia.
Tsukada, who struggled with fatigue, admitted he was playing for second place but was disappointed to bogey the last hole and eventually finish in tied third.
“I’m feeling very tired. It was a pretty tough day but I enjoyed my week. It was a good tournament and result for me. We were all playing for second place but finishing third is a good attempt,” said the Japanese, who is still searching for a maiden professional victory.
The Grameenphone Bangladesh Masters is the curtain raiser for the 2011 Asian Development Tour. The top three players on the Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn their Asian Tour cards for 2012.
The Asian Development Tour, structured along the lines of the Nationwide Tour in the United States and European Challenge Tour, was launched in 2010 with tournaments already staged in Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia and Chinese Taipei.
Leading final round scores
269 – Siddikur (Ban) 66-65-69-69
281 - Md. Milon AHMED (Ban) 72-69-68-72
284 - Md. Jakiruzzaman (A) (Ban) 71-75-70-68, Yosuke TSUKADA (Jap) 70-71-69-74
285 - Md. Zamal Hossain MOLLAH (Ban) 72-68-74-71
286 - Md. Rezaul KARIM (Ban) 74-70-75-67, Hirotaro NAITO (Jap) 70-70-72-74
287 - Justin BRINK (Ire) 71-72-75-69, Ross CANAVAN (Eng) 71-72-69-75
288 - Javed INAYAT (Pak) 73-74-67-74, Md. Liton HOWLADER (Ban) 69-71-71-77
289 - Takafumi KAWANE (Jap) 73-71-75-70
290 - Md. Sayum MIAH (Ban) 70-72-72-76
291 - Llewellyn MATTHEWS (Wal) 75-74-73-69, Neil REILLY (Eng) 72-73-74-72
292 - Md. Shakhawat SOHEL (Ban) 75-71-75-71, Md. A. MOTIN (Ban) 68-71-76-77
293 - Will YANAGISAWA (USA) 75-72-74-72, Lindsay RENOLDS (Can) 72-75-71-75
292 - Md. Shakhawat SOHEL (Ban) 75-71-75-71, Md. A. MOTIN (Ban) 68-71-76-77
293 - Will YANAGISAWA (USA) 75-72-74-72, Lindsay RENOLDS (Can) 72-75-71-75
