Dulal rues driving errors

Dulal Hossain sneaked into the driving range of the Kurmitola Golf Club, avoiding media attention, to hone in on his driving, which let him down in the penultimate round of the Bashundhara Bangladesh Open yesterday.

The 25-year-old golfer had an almost impeccable second round when he had fired an eight-under (63), the best round of this event so far, to take the joint fifth position. But his game was a mixed bag yesterday as he fired five birdies alongside two bogeys and two double-bogeys to take the joint seventh position at five-under (208), seven shots behind leader Mardan Mamat (12-under 201).

Dulal felt his putting was fine, but driving was what had gone awry.  "My swing was not going properly today. Two of my tee-shots – the first on the par-four third hole and the second on the par-four 15th – had gone off the fairway and under the trees, which eventually cost me two double bogeys," the South Asian Games gold medallist said after finishing his driving practice for about an hour.

"It's not all over yet. I will try to stay bogey-free tomorrow and hit five or six birdies, which is possible on this course as I'm feeling comfortable with the green. The rest will depend on luck and how the others fare," added Dulal.

But the way Mamat has played over the three days -- hitting six birdies on each day -- it looks unlikely that an experienced golfer of his stature will have an uncharacteristically bad day when it matters most. The Singaporean is confident as he had won tournaments while leading from the first day.

"When you come to a tournament and see your photo on the boards, it makes you feel well known. That gave me a bit of confidence," joked the four-time Asian Tour winner at the post-round press briefing.

"I've won three tournaments when I led from the first day. I feel I'm getting closer to another win and hopefully I can continue with the way I'm playing," added Mamat.

However, Mamat might face some completion from India's Khalin Joshi, who raced to the second position at nine-under (204) after a 65 yesterday. Soomin Lee of Korea, who also returned a card of 65, is a further stroke behind.  

Meanwhile, Bangladesh's best player Siddikur Rahman had yet another forgettable outing yesterday as he went birdieless while hitting four bogeys to drop to joint 64th position at six-over (219). Shakhawat Hossain Sohel was the best local performer with a 68, which lifted him up to joint 25th position at even-par (213).

SELECTED SCORES

1    Mardan Mamat (SIN)     -12 (201)
2     Khalin Joshi (IND)     -9 (204)
3    Soomin Lee (KOR)     -8 (205)
7     Dulal Hossain (BAN)     -5 (208)
17    Thaworn Wiratchant (THA)     -1 (212)
25    Shakhawat Sohel (BAN) par     (213)
48    Dil Mohammed A* (BAN)     +3 (216)
54    Nur Jamal (BAN)     +4 (217)
64    Sajib Ali (BAN)     +6 (219)
64    Siddikur Rahman     +6 (219)