TWO PLAYERS CLICKETY-CLICK IN FIRST ROUND AT MANILA

                                                    

 

PRESS RELEASE FROM ASIAN TOUR

 

SUPER SIDDIKUR TIES WITH KIM AT 

THE ICTSI PHILIPPINE OPEN

 

Manila: Siddikur Rahman fired his best score at the challenging Wack Wack Golf and Country Club to share the opening round lead with Chan Kim on six-under-par 66 at the ICTSI Philippine Open today.

Siddikur, the first Bangladeshi to play and win on the Asian Tour, birdied the last hole from five feet to cap his best effort on the Wack Wack course where his previous low round was a 71 at the 2011 Philippine Open.

Little known Rolando Marabe, a former caddy who turned professional in 1997, led the local charge after shooting a 69 to tie with four-time Asian Tour winner Chawalit Plaphol in third place.

EurAsia Cup star Prayad Marksaeng, Korea’s Park Byung-joo, Michael Tran of Vietnam, Settee Prakongvech of Thailand and Australia’s Marcus Both were a further four shots off the leaders in joint fifth.

Siddikur, who was part of Team Asia who tied with Team Europe in the inaugural EurAsia Cup earlier this year, was delighted to rediscover his deft putting touch as he negotiated the tricky Wack Wack greens in 26 putts.

It was a welcome return to form for the popular Bangladeshi, who uncharacteristically missed the cut in his last two Asian Tour events.

“I was confident that my putting touch will come back. In golf sometimes you enjoy a good run of form and sometimes you don’t. I sank about 80% of my putts which reflected in my score on this golf course,” said the 29-year-old.

“This is not an easy course. It is a tight and narrow course with small greens. Every shot counts here. I was not disappointed with my form before today because my stats were still good except putting,” added Siddikur, a two-time Asian Tour winner.

FIRST ROUND LEADERBOARD

Par 72. Yardage: 7,222

66 Chan KIM (USA), Siddikur RAHMAN (BAN).

69 Rolando MARABE (PHI), Chawalit PLAPHOL (THA).

70 PARK Byung-joo (SKOR), Prayad MARKSAENG (THA), Michael TRAN (VNM), Settee PRAKONGVECH (THA), Marcus BOTH (AUS).

71 Rufino BAYRON (PHI), Nathan HOLMAN (AUS), LIN Wen-tang (TPE), Jay BAYRON (PHI), Rupert SARAGOZA (am, PHI), Daisuke KATAOKA (JPN), Angelo QUE (PHI), S.S.P CHOWRASIA (IND), Mithun PERERA (SRI), Paul PETERSON (USA).

72 Ryan YIP (CAN), WANG Jeung-hun (SKOR), George GANDRANATA (INA), Lionel WEBER (FRA), Frankie MINOZA (PHI), Poom SAKSANSIN (THA), Unho PARK (AUS), Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA), Adam GROOM (AUS).

73 Elmer SABAN (PHI), CHAN Yih-shin (TPE), Sam CYR (USA), Manav JAINI (IND), Steve LEWTON (ENG), Paul ECHAVEZ (PHI), Jarin TODD (USA), Chinnarat PHADUNGSIL (THA), Mars PUCAY (PHI), Gunn CHAROENKUL (THA), Boonchu RUANGKIT (THA), Miguel OCHOA (PHI).
SELECTED SCORE
79 Craig Hinton (Eng)