Newly-wed Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh hopes wedding bliss will drive him towards a victory at the Maybank Malaysian Open, the Asian Tour’s 2015 season-opening tournament, next week.
The popular Bangladeshi, who recently married sweetheart Samaun Anjum Auroni in Dhaka, is gunning for a fast start to the new season at the US$3 million showpiece which is co-sanctioned with The European Tour.
While he is still on the road to a full recovery from a back injury which curtailed his campaign last year, the double Asian Tour winner is feeling confident after focusing on meditation and yoga in his pre-season preparation.
“I couldn’t practice too much because of my injury. But I did a lot of yoga, swimming and meditation to try and recover physically and to make myself mentally strong. Now I feel prepared for my upcoming tournaments,” said Siddikur.
The Bangladeshi trailblazer will face a stellar cast at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club from February 5-8 which includes defending champion Lee Westwood of England, three-time Asian Tour number one Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand and Major champion Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland.
Newly crowned Asian Tour Order of Merit champion David Lipsky of the United States, second-ranked Anirban Lahiri of India and double champion Rashid Khan of India will also feature in the prestigious tournament alongside 18-time Tour winner Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand, 2013 Maybank Malaysian Open champion Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Liang Wen-chong of China, Asia’s number one in 2007.
Siddikur’s best finish at the Maybank Malaysian Open was eighth place in the 2011 edition and with this year’s tournament marking Maybank’s 10thyear as title sponsor, the Bangladeshi ace is hoping to launch a title charge.
“It’s a nice golf course. It’s true that it’s a long course but I enjoy playing there and I feel comfortable there as well. I hope to play better and stay fit. If I can stay healthy, then I’m confident I can play well” said the 27-year-old.
After winning two Asian Tour titles in a superb 2014 season, Khan has emerged as one of the region’s most exciting and newest young stars and he will be pushing hard to increase his winning tally at the Maybank Malaysian Open.
The 24-year-old secured his first triumph on home soil at the SAIL-SBI Open and then came of age by emerging victorious at the Chiangmai Golf Classic presented by PTT.
He has credited mental coach, Aparna Jain, for his success.
“She (Jain) told me that I’m too aggressive on the golf course and that I needed to be calm and play easy. She said I shouldn’t put pressure on myself. That has really helped me … I would like to win more tournaments like what I did in 2014. Maybe win three tournaments!” said Khan.
