Dhaka, Bangladesh, 26-01-2018
Local favourite Siddikur Rahman maintains lead on day three of City Bank American Express Dhaka Open
Shankar Das registers day's best 67 to move within two shots of the lead
Bangladesh's Md Siddikur Rahman, the pre-tournament favourite, came up with a steady two-under-70 in round three of the inaugural City Bank American Express Dhaka Open, a US$ 60,000 event, to maintain his lead going into the final round. Siddikur was ahead by two as his three-day total read 12-under-204.ÂÂ
India's Shankar Das produced the day's joint best score of five-under-67 to move within two shots of the lead at 10-under-206 at the event tri-sanctioned by the Asian Development Tour (ADT), Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and Bangladesh Professional Golfers Association (BPGA).
Siddikur Rahman (68-66-70), the overnight leader by five shots, was not at his best on Friday but still managed to hold on to the lead thanks to three birdies which came at the expense of a lone bogey at his home course, the Kurmitola Golf Club.
Siddikur, who represented Bangladesh at the 2016 Rio Olympics, looked solid on the front-nine as he sank two birdies. However, on a day that saw him struggle with the putter, Rahman wasn't able to capitalize on his lead as he only managed a birdie and a bogey on the back-nine.
The 33-year-old Siddikur said, “I'm happy with today's effort even though I didn't play as well as I did in the first two rounds. My putting was not up to the mark today since I missed a lot of chances on the greens. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't capitalize on the opportunities that came my way.
“However, I'm still quite well-placed and will be looking to post a score of four to five under on the final day in order to seal the title. I definitely have the home course advantage but I feel it's not a huge advantage as some of the others on the leaderboard such as Shankar Das and Shamim Khan have also played a lot of golf at the KGC over the years.â€ÂÂÂ
Shankar Das (71-68-67), who was overnight joint second, emerged as the most serious challenger to Siddikur on day three. Shankar, who kept landing it close to the pins through the day, made six birdies and a bogey, all on the front-nine. He then didn't give anything away on the back-nine, making pars on all the holes.
Das said, “I struck my 3-wood really well today and hardly missed anything on the greens. It'll not be easy to dislodge Siddikur on his home turf, but I'll have to make a good start in the final round if I have to exert any pressure on him.â€Â
India's Shamim Khan (70), Sweden's Malcolm Kokocinski (71) and Bangladesh's Akbar Hossain (71) shared the third spot at five-under-211.
About PGTI:
Formed in 2006, Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) is the recognised official body of professional golf in India. PGTI's objective is to promote professional golf in the country, as well as to give players an opportunity to be involved in the decision making on all aspects of the game. Headed by Mr. Kapil Dev (President), PGTI's governing body comprises leading Indian golf professionals. PGTI currently has over 300 members.
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