Siddikur makes a strong start

Bangladesh's premier golfer Siddikur Rahman put up a strong performance in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters to share the third position of the leaderboard on the opening day at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club in Taipei yesterday.

Siddikur bounced back strongly in his first tournament after recovering from his back pains to play a three-under-par 69, sharing third place along with Phachara Khongwatmai of Thailand, as Malaysian Danny Chai and Indian Rashid Khan grabbed the first and second positions with five-under-par 67 and four-under-par 68 respectively.

The two-time Asian Tour winner, who missed six cuts in nine appearances this season, surprised himself by playing one eagle at seventh hole and two birdies at sixth and 17th holes against a lone bogey at 10th hole.

"It's been a great day out there. I don't have any expectations this week. I have been working on my game since suffering from the back injury last year. It's very encouraging to return with a good round today [Thursday]," Siddikur was quoted as saying by Asiantour.com.