Siddikur Rahman reeled off 5 birdies in his ultimate seven holes to leap into the solo lead at the opening day of the $750,000 DGC Open on the Delhi Golf Club right here on Thursday. The 38-year-old Bangladeshi veteran teed off from the entrance 9 and carded a seven-under 65 to start the hunt for a 3rd Asian Tour name in taste.
Philippines’ Justin Quiban, Thailand’s protecting champion Nitithorn Thippong, and India’s Rashid Khan all carded 5 beneath to take the second one spot. Quiban and Thippong had been in joint lead for the easier a part of the day prior to Siddikur went on a birdie blitz because the day got here to an finish.
Interestingly, 3 of the day’s peak 4 — Siddikur, Rashid, and Thippong — have recorded their maiden Asian Tour wins at this path whilst Quiban’s career-best end — a fifth-place end result finally 12 months’s DGC Open — additionally arrived right here. Siddikur, in reality, has 13 Asian Tour top-10s at this venue, and so a bogey-free day was once just about par for the path.
Indeed, none of Siddikur, Rashid, and Quiban dropped a shot whilst Thippong had 4 birdies and an eagle to move with a solitary bogey because the path stayed true and breeze manageable.
Siddikur hit two birdies within the entrance 9 prior to getting into his personal at the again the place he birdied the twelfth, 14th, fifteenth, seventeenth, and 18th holes. Five of his seven birdies had been a results of his elegant placing whilst two got here by way of delectable chips. He picked the chip-in at the seventeenth as his favourite.
“I have been working on my technique, fitness, and mental training. I think it’s working now. I feel I can hit whatever shot I want,” mentioned Siddikur. “I like these greens more than before. The course condition is very good, the fairways are really nice, and the greens are nice. But going by this course’s history, I don’t think the winning score will be more than 15.”
Earlier, Quiban became a quiet get started round with successive birdies at the twelfth, thirteenth, and 14th prior to rounding off the day with a brace of birdies at the seventeenth and 18th.
Thippong, who has had a gradual begin to the 12 months — a solitary top-20 end in 4 begins in 2023 — had admitted to being a little bit off-colour getting into the development. The two-time winner at the continental excursion shook off the rust in taste, scoring 4 birdies and an eagle to move with the lone bogey.
Thippong parred his first hollow (tenth) and birdied the following from ten toes at the slope. Another birdie arrived at the fifteenth with a six-feet putt. On the par 5 first hollow, his 2d shot discovered the vegetables to arrange any other simple birdie. The spotlight despite the fact that was once the eagle at the par 5 8th the place he nailed a 10-yard putt.
Rashid excellent amongst Indians
Meanwhile, Rashid Khan shone on his house path to emerge as the most efficient Indian on view. He shot 5 birdies in his ultimate 9 to move previous compatriots S Chikkarangappa and Om Prakash Chouhan at the leaderboard.
“I was in some tricky situations in the first nine but I managed them. Eventually, getting out of the course without making any bogey means a lot. I don’t mind having three birdies and 15 pars any day. Losing shots does play on your mind. I can sleep well tonight,” Rashid, who has lately been operating with veteran Ashok Kumar, mentioned.
The 32-year-old had a freak again damage remaining November — his lumbar backbone was once injured on have an effect on with a door ledge after he by chance tripped over — and getting his swing again is a big fillip for the two-time continental excursion winner .
“I was really scared to hit because even the slightest movement would kill me. I had to change my swing a little and have also reworked my putting. All of that is still coming together,” he mentioned.