Siddikur hits 6-under par

Siddikur Rahman has been going through a rough patch for quite some time, finishing in 42nd place in the last tournament, but he got off to a flying start at the Venetian Macau Open yesterday despite the recurring back pain that once again reared its head. Siddikur finished in joint-second position with a 6-under par, just one stroke behind leader Thitiphun Chuayprakong of Thailand.

In the 1 million dollar tournament at the Macau Golf and Country Club, Siddikur started off brilliantly, hitting three straight birdies as he looked in fine form. A pinched nerve in Siddikur's back was causing him discomfort, but you could hardly tell as the two-time Asian Tour winner played a bogey-free round and stormed up the leaderboard. However, as Siddikur had just one birdie in the last nine holes, it allowed Korea's Jeunghun Wang to catch up to him and share the second position at the end of the day.

Speaking after the round, Bangladesh's premier golfer talked about his back problems and how it inhibited him during the opening day, taking 10 yards off his drive.

"Since this morning, I have been feeling the pinch in my lower back. I just take care of myself. I've had this problem for nearly one and half years now," the 30-year-old said.

"I have lost about 10 yards in my driving and I'm already a short hitter. But if I can putt like today, it's okay. I'm happy as after a long time I had a bogey free round," he added.

Siddikur, not one to focus on the negatives, talked about how pleased he was with his performance, although he reflected on some of the missed opportunities this year.

"It was an awesome round. I've had three top-10s with my injury this year. Unfortunately I missed some cuts in the joint sanctioned events but I'm happy and today I've got a six under."

India's Anirban Lahiri, the defending champion, played a bogey-free round as well but could not make inroads into the top 3, finishing the day joint-fourth with Scott Hend of Australia, Javi Colomo of Spain and Brett Munson of United States with five-under-par.

Siddikur will have a perfect chance in the next round to climb up to the top spot if the leader trips up, and his chances will be further brightened if he plays like he did today.