Siddikur reimagined

Siddikur Rahman has finished second in many an Asian Tour event before. In fact with the Bashundhara Bangladesh Open 2017 included, the ace Bangladesh golfer has now nine second-place finishes on the circuit against a grand total of two victories, an unflattering statistic for any golfer. And in many of those eight previous occasions, Siddikur had thrown away advantageous positions and eventually came up with a dry smile.

But yesterday it was different; the 32-year-old golfer was beaming while being congratulated by all and sundry at the Kurmitola Golf Course. He was happy to have salvaged a dreadful start and take himself into contention for a third title. It proved to be a terrific effort from a man who had finished 38th and 35th in the previous two editions and started this one with an even-par, languishing at 29th at the end of the first round.

Siddikur said he was feeling more mentally mature than ever before.

"I think my mental game was not as strong in the last two years. I practiced a lot and I prepared myself well before coming home for this tournament," the ace golfer said at the end of the third round. "The game is better and more mature as well. I think that's the difference for me compared to the last two years."

There were definite signs of that mental maturity in his play. Since falling for a triple bogey on the fourth hole on the first morning, Siddikur racked up 21 birdies against only five bogeys, hitting six birdies each in the second, third and fourth rounds. There was no massive mistake from him like on previous occasions where he had failed to hold his nerve as Siddikur moved himself up the leaderboard and into the top five. The two-time Asian Tour winner said he tried to recollect his fond memories during the course of play to keep himself calm.

"I was recalling moments from when I won my first amateur title, when I won my first professional title and when I won my first Asian Tour title. Those memories helped me calm myself down," the 32-year-old golfer, who had his family members cheering for him from the side of the course and one of his brothers caddying for him, said.

However, there is more than just the mental aspect of the game that he has improved on, Siddikur claimed. Having worked with a new coach on his technique over the past couple of months, the golfer says he is impressed with the improvement achieved.

"I worked on my technique for the last two months and I think it has been pretty effective," Siddikur said. "In fact I was impressed with the improvement that I have achieved in my distance, my accuracy, my striking. Even my co-golfers have said they have noticed an improvement in my game."

With a very busy schedule over the next three months featuring a number of events of Asian Tour, PGTI and Japan Tour, Bangladesh golf's flagbearer will be hoping his improvement in technique and mental makeup helps him turn a corner in his career.