Siddikur off to slow start

It was not the kind of flamboyant start that Siddikur Rahman had wished for in the King's Cup yesterday before embarking on a dream Olympic journey in Rio next month.

The ace Bangladesh golfer stroked a two-under-par 68 on the opening day in the 750,000-dollar event in Pataya, five shots behind hosts Thailand's Sattaya Supupramai, who overcame a stiff neck in the morning before going to post a seven-under-par 63.

31-year-old Siddikur, who will carry Bangladesh's flag in the Rio Olympics' opening ceremony on August 5, hit three birdies against a bogey to share the 19th position. The two-time Asian Tour winner, like many, is taking the King's Cup as a final preparation for Rio Olympics, in which golf returned after 116 years.

The first Bangladeshi to make a direct entry in any Olympic Games as one of the top 60 qualifiers, Siddikur needs to up his game in the next three rounds of the King's Cup if he is to carry the momentum to Rio.

He will be flying off to Rio de Janeiro on August 2 after arriving in Bangladesh on the previous day following his participation in the King's Cup.