Bangladeshi sensation Siddikur hopes to be on song again in 2011
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Bangladesh's golf sensation Siddikur plans to continue striking the winning chords in the new Asian Tour season following a glorious 2010 campaign.
Siddikur was one of the revelations last year where he became the first man from his country to lift an Asian Tour title at the Brunei Open en route to finishing an impressive seventh place on the Order of Merit.
In 16 appearances across the region, the slightly built Siddikur was a model of consistency and missed only three cuts. He finished the year with earnings of US$267,692, ahead of established stars such as Singaporean veteran Mardan Mamat and Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng.
"I started playing well at the Queen's Cup (placed tied eighth in June) and went on to achieve many good results. Winning the Brunei Open was wonderful and it gave me the belief that I can excel in the game," said Siddikur, who will headline the Asian Development Tour's season-opening event, the Grameenphone Bangladesh Masters at the Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka next week.
His career breakthrough sparked several other inspired performances where he finished second at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters, losing in a play-off to Thailand's Pariya Junhasavasdikul.
He also made heads turn at the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic, Malaysia, co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and US PGA Tour. He capped the season with a tied fifth placing at the Hero Honda Indian Open, the joint richest full-field Asian Tour event.
Like a scene plucked out from a fairytale, Siddikur lived a remarkable rags-to-riches story. He certainly has no plans to rest on his laurels and is not blinded by the money he has earned last season.
"I know I have won a lot of money but my motivation to achieve more success is not driven by money. I just want to become a good player on the Asian Tour and maybe on the PGA Tour some day," said Siddikur.
"I've got full confidence that 2011 will be another wonderful year and I believe I will be back to challenge for honours again," said the 26-year-old, who started playing golf with a makeshift seven iron head stuck to an iron rod.
Siddikur's accomplishments on the Asian Tour have opened the door for many aspiring golfers in Bangladesh to chase their dream of playing professionally and they will stand a chance to test their mettle at the Grameenphone Bangladesh Masters which makes its debut on the region's secondary circuit from February 3-6, 2011.
"I believe the tournament will be good for the future generation. I think this it is important to expose players in Bangladesh to more professional events," said Siddikur.
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