Brink Finishes 8th Behind Siddikur

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

GRAMEENPHONE BANGLADESH MASTERS RD 4 RESULTS

Brink Slips as Siddikur Extends Leads

Siddikur

Justin Brink carded a third round of 75 at the Grameenphone Bangladesh Masters on Saturday in the Asian Tour Developmental Tour event in Bangladesh 

Local hero Siddikur made a dash towards the finishing line after posting a three-under-par 69 in the third round of the Grameenphone Bangladesh Masters on Saturday. 

Siddikur produced his highest score of the week but his three-day total of 16-under-par 200 was still nine strokes better than compatriot Md. Milon Ahmed who closed with a 68 at the Kurmitola Golf Club. 

Flamboyant Japanese prospect Yosuke Tsukada closed with a 69 to lie in third place on a 210 total while Md. Liton Howlader of Bangladesh was a stroke back in fourth place in the US$75,000 Asian Development Tour event. 

Javed Inayat, a former ball boy from the Karachi Golf Club in Pakistan, fired the tournament’s first hole-in-one which he sank with a six-iron on the 177-yard sixth hole. He returned with a 67 for a 214 total to lie in tied seventh place. 

Siddikur mixed his card with eight birdies against five bogeys and despite his distant lead, he said there are kinks in his game which has to be straightened out. 

“I had only five pars because I couldn’t make many up-and-downs. I need to work on my short game which was a letdown,” he said. 

Siddikur attributed his vast lead to his experience of playing and winning on the Asian Tour. “Playing on the Asian Tour definitely shaped my golf game and how I approach tournaments. The experience has certainly prepared me to face the challenges in competitive tournaments,” he added. 

Tsukada, who has the funkiest hairstyle this week, continued his consistent run as he returned with a bogey-free round highlighted by three birdies. 

“The people here are so nice and I feel at home. I was just trying to make pars. The golf course is tight and tricky so you have to keep hitting fairways. I’m enjoying the challenge here and I believe it will give me more experience,” said the 25-year-old, who finished outside the top-40 of the Asian Tour Qualifying School Final Stage in Thailand last month. 

Pakistani Inayat was beaming with confidence after his ace which led to further birdies on holes seven, 11 and 15. He was also greeted with hugs by compatriots Danyaal Jehangir and Aadil Jehangir at the clubhouse after they knew of his feat. 

“I was standing on the tee box and was thinking of using a six or seven iron. I opted for a seven iron and it landed about two club lengths from the hole and rolled in. I didn’t even know I shot a hole-in-one until my caddy and flight mates started shouting,” said the 43-year-old. 

After shooting his first hole-in-one in a competitive tournament, he is now eyeing a good finish to help fund for future Asian Development Tour events. 

“I played in the first stage of the Asian Tour Qualifying School but didn’t make it into the Final Stage. If I get more sponsors, I will play in all the Asian Development Tour events this year and try to finish in the top-three of the Order of Merit. Even if I can get a good result here, I’ll be able to fund for my next event,” he added. 

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 third round scores 

200 – Siddikur (BAN) 66-65-69 

209 - Md. Milon AHMED (BAN) 72-69-68 

210 - Yosuke TSUKADA (JPN) 70-71-69 

211 - Md. Liton HOWLADER (BAN) 69-71 -71 

212 - Ross CANAVAN (ENG) 71-72-69, Hirotaro NAITO (JPN) 70-70-72 

214 - Javed INAYAT (PAK) 73-74-67, Md. Sayum MIAH (BAN) 70-72-72, Md. Zamal Hossain MOLLAH (BAN) 72-68-74 

215 - Md. A. MOTIN (BAN) 68-71-76 

216 - Md. Jakiruzzaman (A) (BAN) 71-75-70, Kenichi SAWADA (JPN) 74-71-71 

217 - Masaki SAKATA (JPN) 76-69-72, Bryan SALTUS (USA) 71-72-74 

218 - Md. Jibon ALI (BAN) 75-73-70, Lindsay RENOLDS (CAN) 72-75-71, Justin BRINK (IRL) 71-72-75 

219 - Neil REILLY (ENG) 72-73-74, Takafumi KAWANE (JPN) 73-71-75, Md. Rezaul KARIM (BAN) 74-70 -75

Birnk Makes Cut in Asian Developmental

Siddikur

Local hero Siddikur extended his lead by eight strokes after the second round of the Grameenphone Bangladesh Masters courtesy of some glorious putting on Friday.

Siddikur posted a flawless round of seven-under-par 65 for a two-day total of 13-under-par 131 to tighten his grip in the US$75,000 Asian Development Tour event.

His compatriot Md. A. Motin battled to a 71 for a 139 total while Japanese Hirotaro Naito and Bangladeshis Md Liton Howlader and Md. Zamal Hossain Mollah shared third place on matching 140s at the Kurmitola Golf Club.

Siddikur, the first Bangladeshi to play and win on the Asian Tour, turned in 32 before adding three birdies on his homeward nine. His birdies were all within the region of six to 10 feet and he was beaming with confidence with his distant lead.

“It was an excellent day with another great day of putting. I played very well in the first round and that gave me more confidence to go out and just shoot another low number,” said Siddikur, winner of the Brunei Open on the elite Asian Tour last season.

“If I continue to play like how I did, I believe it will be very easy for me to win. I’m feeling confident and feel like I have one hand on the trophy,” he added.

Motin, who learned his golf swing by swinging with a tree branch, continued his dream run with six birdies against five bogeys. He admitted that it will be an uphill task to narrow the deficit on the number one golfer in Bangladesh.

“Siddikur is the best golfer in the country and it will be difficult to chase his score. But you never know as anything can happen in golf. I’m going to go all out and attack because I got nothing to lose. I just need to work on my iron shots,” said the 39-year-old.

Japanese Naito was disappointed with his wayward tee shots as he struggled to close in on Siddikur.

“I’m not happy with what I shot. I’m nine strokes behind Siddikur and need to be on attack mode. My iron shots and putting were working but my tee shots let me down. You need to be accurate on this golf course as the fairways are narrow,” said Naito, who finished in tied 16th place at the Asian Tour Qualifying School Final stage last month.

Thailand’s Tommy Mansuwan, who has been based in the United States for the past 23 years, was delighted to recover from his opening 76 with a second round 69 highlighted by four birdies against one bogey to place him in tied 15th place.

“I played pretty well yesterday. I hit it well, a lot better than my score but I made two costly mistakes but other than that I tried to do the same thing today. Tried not to be too greedy and it worked well for me,” said the 29-year-old who is searching for his first career victory.

A total of 58 players made the halfway cut which was set at 10-over-par 154.

Leading second round scores

131 – Siddikur (BAN) 66-65

139 - Md. A. MOTIN (BAN) 68-71

140 - Hirotaro NAITO (JPN) 70-70, Md. Liton HOWLADER (BAN) 69-71, Md. Zamal Hossain MOLLAH (BAN) 72-68

141 - Md. Milon AHMED (BAN) 72-69, Yosuke TSUKADA (JPN) 70-71

142 - Md. Sayum MIAH (BAN) 70-72

143 - Justin BRINK (IRL) 71-72, Bryan SALTUS (USA) 71-72, Rizal AMIN (MAS) 70-73, Ross CANAVAN (ENG) 71-72

144 - Md. Rezaul KARIM (BAN) 74-70, Takafumi KAWANE (JPN) 73-71

145 - Tommy MANSUWAN (THA) 76-69, Masaki SAKATA (JPN) 76-69, Kenichi SAWADA (JPN) 74-71, Neil REILLY (ENG) 72-73

Brink Cards 71 in Grameenphone

Siddikur

Local hero Siddikur led the home charge by taking the opening round lead at the Grameenphone Bangladesh Masters on Thursday.

Siddikur, the first player to play and win on the Asian Tour, wielded a hot putter as he returned with a sizzling six-under-par 66 at the US$75,000 Asian Development Tour event.

Bangladeshis Md. A. Motin and Md. Liton Howlader occupied second and third placing with a solid 68 and 69 respectively while Japanese duo Hirotaro Naito and Yosuke Tsukada, Malaysian Rizal Amin and Md. Sayum Miah of Bangladesh shared fourth place with identical 70s at the Kurmitola Golf Club.

Siddikur lived up to his billing as the top player in the event where he made 24 putts, highlighted by five consecutive one putts from the 11th hole, in a round of seven birdies against one bogey.

“I couldn’t control my emotions last week (in the Bangladesh Open) and that led to some silly mistakes. It was much better today as I was able to maintain my composure and remain focus,” said Siddikur who won the Brunei Open on the elite Asian Tour last season.

He believes the Grameenphone Bangladesh Masters, which is the curtain raiser for the Asian Development Tour season, will inspire and act as a learning curve for budding golfers in Bangladesh.

“There are many things our professionals need to learn and through the Asian Development Tour, they will be able to develop their game and continue to improve,” said the 26-year-old, who started golfing with a makeshift seven iron head stuck to a metal rod.

His compatriot Motin surprised even himself when he returned with five birdies against one bogey. A former ball boy at Kurmitola Golf Club, Motin started golfing by practising his golf swing with a tree branch but believes golf in Bangladesh has taken a turn for the better.

“We could not afford to buy golf equipments last time and had to rely on items such as tree branches or second hand golf clubs. Golf is 100% different now compared to last time. It is much popular and many younger children are taking up the game. In time, with more professional events, I think golf will be even more popular,” said the 39-year-old, who plays competitively in Nepal.

Former Asian Tour champion Bryan Saltus of the United States, who played with Siddikur today, hopes to revive his career as he seeks to return into the elite Tour. The top three players on the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn 2012 Asian Tour cards.

Saltus endured a slow patch after winning the 2007 Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open where he lost his Asian Tour card for 2010 and failed to finish in the top-40 of Qualifying School last month as he struggled with injury.

“I’m going to play more on the Asian Development Tour as I had an unsuccessful qualifier (Asian Tour Qualifying School) because of a back and wrist injury. It was pretty disappointing but I guess I’m just getting old,” said the 39-year-old, who shot a 71 today.

He played in two professional events last year but believes his desire to succeed has not wane. “I’ve won out here before and playing on this Tour I believe I can win again. I told myself that 2010 was a wash. I’m not going to even think about last year,” he added.

Leading first round scores

66 – Siddikur (Ban)

68 - Md. A. MOTIN (Ban) 

69 - Md. Liton HOWLADER (Ban) 

70 - Hirotaro NAITO (Jpn), Yosuke TSUKADA (Jpn), Rizal AMIN (Mas), Md. Sayum MIAH (Ban)

71 - Justin BRINK (Irl), Bryan SALTUS (Usa), Md. Jakiruzzaman (A) (Ban) 71, Ross CANAVAN (Eng) 

72 - Md. Milon AHMED (Ban), Neil REILLY (Eng), Md. Zamal Hossain MOLLAH (Ban), Lindsay RENOLDS (Can), NAY Bala Win Myint (Myn)

73 - Takafumi KAWANE (Jpn), Javed INAYAT (Pak), Naoto NAKANISHI (Jpn), Danyaal JEHANGIR (Pak)

Local Hopes in Bangladesh

Md. Zamal Hossain Mollah

Local hope Md. Zamal Hossain Mollah hopes his home course knowledge will propel him to glory at the inaugural Grameenphone Bangladesh Masters which starts on Thursday.

Zamal, the 2009 Bangladesh Open champion, will be inspired to chase his dream of winning the US$75,000 Asian Development Tour event at the Kurmitola Golf Club.

The Grameenphone Bangladesh Masters is the curtain raiser for the new 2011 Asian Development Tour season where the top three players on the Order of Merit at the end of the season will be rewarded with their Asian Tour cards for 2012.

Local hero Siddikur, the first player to play and win on the Asian Tour, will headline the event with former national team captain Shakhawat. They will be joined by a strong cast including Lindsay Renolds of Canada, Malaysian Rizal Amin and former European Tour player Neil Reilly of England.

Zamal was delighted to be playing in the first ever Asian Development Tour event on home soil and knows a victory this week will be life changing.

“I know this course very well and I’m going to do my best. Of course it will be a dream come true to win here. I think it is everyone’s goal to win,” said the 25-year-old.

Zamal previously worked as a caddy at the Kurmitola Golf Club before getting bitten by the golf bug. He was eventually roped into the national team and has continued to blossom ever since.

“When Siddikur won on the Asian Tour, it sparked further development in the sport in Bangladesh. Suddenly, sponsors were more interested in the sport and now we have the first ever Asian Development Tour event. Things have really turned around for the better in the sport and I hope to reap the benefits from it,” said Zamal.

Thai-based Renolds, 24, missed out on the top-40 of the Asian Tour Qualifying School Final Stage last month and hopes to make amends this week.

“It would be great to win the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit as anybody would love to. But you got to be patient. I feel my game is good enough to do it and I need to believe in myself,” said the former Canadian national team player.

The slightly built golfer has been living in Phuket for the past 10 years and is resolved of plying his trade in Asia.

“Asia is my home and I don’t plan to leave Asia. If I can play in any tournaments in Asia, I’ll be happy. My game is getting better and if I play and manage well, then ultimately the result will show,” said Renolds.

The burly Rizal, who has been based in the United States for the past 17 years, believes astute tee shots will be the key to a good result.

“I got to use a lot of three woods. The course is short but tight and tricky. If you hit fairways then you will be alright,” said the 27-year-old.

He posted a solid opening 69 at the Qualifying School Final Stage before fading with an 82 as he struggled with illness and is now eyeing to emulate the success of countrymen S. Siva Chandhran and Akhmal Tarmizee where they finished first and third place on the Order of Merit last season.

“Those guys showed that the Asian Development Tour is a stepping stone for players such as myself. Seeing them playing well makes you want to follow in their footsteps and hopefully get your Tour card,” said Rizal.