Happy Siddikur believes he can attain American dream
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Bangladeshi Siddikur dared to dream of playing on the PGA Tour after finishing in a commendable tied 11th place at the inaugural CIMB Asia Pacific Classic, Malaysia on Sunday.
Siddikur, the first Bangladeshi to win on the Asian Tour, emerged as the surprise package of the US$6 million tournament by closing with a three-under-par 69 and a four-day total of 13-under-par 271.
He earned a handsome US$121,250, his biggest cheque so far in his burgeoning career at the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic, Malaysia – jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and PGA Tour.
Singaporean Mardan Mamat, celebrating his 43rd birthday, finished as the top Asian Tour star in tied fifth place following a 69 for a 270 total while Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Pariya Junhasavasdikul of Thailand signed off in tied 21st and 26th places respectively at the Mines Resort and Golf Club.
Current Asian Tour Order of Merit leader Noh Seung-yul of Korea, suffering from a stomach ailment, failed to get his round going as he closed with a 75 to finish tied 36th in the tournament won by American Ben Crane.
Siddikur, who earned praise from Australia Adam Scott earlier in the week, has been one of the revelations on the Asian Tour this season where he claimed his maiden victory at the Brunei Open in August and then lost in a play-off to Pariya at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters earlier this month.
His ultimate dream is to play in America and after upstaging stars such as two-time US Open champion Retief Goosen of South Africa and Asia's first Major winner Y.E. Yang of Korea, he believes he can achieve his goal.
"Next year, I'll go to the US Tour qualifying school. I want to go far in my career. I'm not concerned about the money. My plan was to learn something from the players," said Siddikur, who started playing golf with a makeshift seven iron clubhead attached to a metal rod.
"It's really a good experience for me. They are great players and I know I'm not lesser than them as I've had this experience. It's my first time seeing a big PGA Tour event and it's a nice experience for me," he added.
The burly Kiradech enjoyed the company of Ernie Els of South Africa and played solidly before a triple bogey on the 16th hole spoilt his card. He recovered with an eagle on 17 when his six iron shot landed 10 feet from the hole and reveled in the experience this week.
"Ernie always has a plan. He plays his ball in good positions and places his second shot into a scoring position. I gained a lot of experience when I played with him and Adam Scott in the first round. Both of them plan ahead and give themselves a chance to score," said Kiradech.
Pariya, who was the joint second round leader, soaked in the experience although his round was derailed with two double bogeys on holes four and 13. "Those guys are really detailed when it comes to reading the greens and where to place the ball. I thought I did a pretty good job but they do a better job," said the graduate from Purdue University and a licensed pilot.
"It's a learning process for me and I need to play it one shot at a time and stay patient. They (the PGA Tour players) make as many birdies as I can but they are not giving it back by making bogeys. That a lesson I learnt," he said.
Noh's round was curtailed by illness as he mixed his round with four birdies against three bogeys, one double bogey (10th hole) and a triple bogey (12th hole). "My condition was not good. I was having a bad stomach discomfort last night and couldn't get enough sleep. My shots were horrible and I felt really tired," he said.
The title sponsor of the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic, Malaysia is CIMB Group. CIMB Group is one of Southeast Asia's leading universal banking franchises. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur with key offices across South East Asia, CIMB Group offers a full suite of financial services and related products. Read more about CIMB Group at www.cimb.com.
