When you need only 24 putts over 18 holes and birdie all four par-5s during a bogey-free round, a stunning score of seven-under 65 is a natural corollary.
Siddikur Rahman did just that on the opening day of the $750,000 DGC Open for a two-stroke lead on Thursday.
A regular on the Indian Tour, the seasoned Bangladeshi sank five birdies over the last seven holes. He overtook the trio of Rashid Khan, Justin Quiban (Philippines) and defending champion Nitithorn Thippong (Thailand) - at 67 - with birdies on the last two holes, including a chip-in on the 17th.
S. Chikkarangappa was part of the six-man cluster at 68 while amateur Yuvraj Singh and Om Prakash Chouhan followed a stroke behind.
However, it was a heartbreaking finish for Mysore-boy Aryan Roopa Anand who signed off with a triple-bogey on the par-4 ninth hole for a 71 on a day when several illustrious names struggled.
Rashid, the best Indian on view, started from the 10th and pared all holes before taking the turn. The back-nine brought Rashid to the fore. He birdied his 10th and 14th holes before sinking a hat-trick of birdies from the 16th for his best card of the season.
Interestingly, Rashid had two birdies each on the par-5s and par-3s after needing 25 putts to cover the distance. Given the tightness of the course, his average driving distance of 270 metres complimented his flawless putting to put him temporarily in joint lead before Siddikur sped away.
Winner of the 2013 Indian Open, Siddikur produced his familiar best at the DGC where he finished runner-up four times and has nine other top-10 finishes from 16 starts. “I love the Delhi Golf Club course and I have always enjoyed playing here. So, it was a wonderful day. I’m hitting really well. At the same time, I’m putting well,” said Siddikur.
The scores:
First round (Indians unless stated): 65- Siddikur Rahman (Ban); 67 - Rashid Khan, Justin Quiban (Phi), Nitithorn Thippong (Tha), 68 - S. Chikkarangappa, Nirat Chapchai (Tha), Miguel Tabuena (Phi), Varun Chopra (USA), Taichi Kho (Hkg) and Matt Killen (Eng).
Other Indians (with sub-par scores): 69 - Yuvraj Singh (A), Om Prakash Chouhan; 70 - Pratap Atwal (A), Veer Ahlawat, Ranjit Singh, 71 - Shaurya Bhattacharya (A), Karandeep Singh Kochhar, Honey Baisoya, Sachin Baisoya, Abhijit Chadha and Aryan Roopa Anand.
