Published July 17, 2008 on April 21, 2018

Siddikur Hails Support from Corporate Bangladesh

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Siddikur Rahman has hailed the strong support for professional golf in Bangladesh as he prepares for the BTI Open on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and AB Golf Bangladesh Open on the Asian Tour.

Bangladesh will stage three professional golf events in the country for the first time ever.  Siddikur won the inaugural Dhaka Open in January on the ADT and he will be part of the talented field at the BTI Open next week.

His National Open, which will welcome AB Bank as the new title sponsor, will also return on the Asian Tour Schedule for its fourth consecutive edition from May 9 to 12 at the Kurmitola Golf Club, which is also the venue for the ADT events.

Siddikur is the trailblazer for professional golf in Bangladesh. He rose through the ranks to become a two-time Asian Tour winner and his rise to fame has been an inspiration to many in his country and in Asia.

“I’m really excited to be playing in so many events in Bangladesh. We are seeing more people taking up the sport. In the future, I’m sure we will have even more professional golfers in the country. More sponsors are beginning to support golf so this is a very good sign for the sport,” said Siddikur.

The 33-year-old was delighted with the sponsorship of Corporate Bangladesh in the cricket loving nation.

The US$60,000 BTI Open will attract a talented field to Dhaka with ADT Order of Merit leader John Catlin of the United States aiming to extend his lead on the ranking. Other notable names in the field include Johnson Poh of Singapore, Shohei Hasegawa of Japan, Oscar Zetterwall of Sweden and Panuwat Muenlek of Thailand.

Siddikur is relishing the opportunity to play in front of the home crowd again. Three months ago, he dominated the Dhaka Open when he cruised to a four-shot victory and he will be aiming for another victory next week.

“I’m really inspired to play in front of my home crowd. I’m really motivated to play well in front of them. It is a great feeling to have more golf events in Bangladesh,” said Siddikur.

“I won one ADT at home but haven’t done well on the Asian Tour. It is okay because these are all part of the game. I’ve been practicing hard so hopefully I can play well starting with the events in Bangladesh,” he added.

Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points are offered on All ADT events with the winner earning a total of six OWGR points while the top-six players and ties earn points on a sliding scale.

The leading five players on the ADT Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2019 season.