Bangladeshi trailblazer Siddikur birdied the last hole for a five-under-par 67 to pull clear of the chasing pack on Friday at the halfway stage of the Panasonic Open India golf tournament.
Siddikur, the first Bangladeshi to play and win on the Asian Tour and nicknamed the “Tiger Woods of Bangladesh”, fired six birdies against one bogey for a six-under 138 total at the $US300,000 ($A290,000) event at Delhi Golf Club.
Thailand’s Prom Meesawat (69), third on the Order of Merit, was a shot back with Indians Gaganjeet Bhullar (67), a two-time Asian Tour winner, Shankar Das (69), Ashok Kumar (69) and Manav Jaini (67).
Australian Wade Ormsby is two shots off the lead with a four-under total of 140 after rounds of 73 and 67.
Siddikur, who won his maiden Asian Tour title in 2010, credited his hot putter for the solid round, where he made 24 putts highlighted by a monster 30-foot birdie on the third hole.
“My putting was so good. My caddy was telling me that I needed to hole the birdie putt on the last hole (12 feet) to lead the tournament and I was very confident because I had a good line,” Siddikur told the Asian Tour.
Siddikur said his game has been on the upswing since taking a one-week lesson at a golf academy at the renowned TPC Sawgrass in the United States.
“I’ve been struggling with distance in the last couple of years so I decided to try an American coach (Todd Jones) in Florida to help me. I went for a week and it was great for my game,” said Siddikur.
Bhullar did not miss a single fairway in a round where he sank a 30-foot chip-in birdie on the 13th hole followed by an eagle-three on 14 when his accurate six-iron approach shot landed six feet from the hole.
“I hit the ball really close, which was different compared to yesterday,” he said.
“This season has just started and, if I compare this season and the last, I feel that I’m hitting the ball better. I did a few changes in my swing and that has been helping in my ball striking.”