‘We are back to where we were 20 years ago’

Golfer Siddikur Rahman has started the new Asian Tour season in Malaysia, making the cut in the IRS Prima Malaysian Open. Following two rounds, the two-time Asian Tour winner is tied for 40th place at six-under-par, seven strokes off the pace. The ace golfer, in an interview over phone with The Daily Star's Atique Anam, spoke about the disappointment of the last season, his target for the new season, the changes in his game and in the golfing landscape overall and other aspects. Following are the excerpts:

The Daily Star (DS): You're starting a new season in Malaysia. How has your preparation been for the new season?

Siddikur Rahman (SR): I've been training in Malaysia for almost a month. I trained with my mental trainer, Ali Khan, who came from Canada. I have to prepare for the whole year during these breaks.

DS: You didn't have a great year in 2023, as you have dropped out of top 60 in the Asian Tour Order of Merit. How would you analyse your performance?

SR: I had opportunities to do well, but I couldn't keep up the game for four days. I think there was a psychological issue, which I've been working on. I'm working on why I couldn't do well, despite getting into good positions in at least three events. If you see, my game and the statistics haven't been as bad as the final results suggest.

DS: You missed out on the Asian Tour card after a long time. What sort of impact will this have on your tournament participation?

SR: It will obviously have an impact as I will only get to play around 50 percent of tournaments that I would have otherwise played.

DS: You had a back injury which troubled you for a long time. How is it now?

SR: Physically I'm fit, Alhamdulillah. No such issues at the moment.

DS: What is your target for 2024?

SR: I would be satisfied with a top-20 finish in the Order of Merit. I would also target winning one event this year.

DS: Do you think the competition is much higher now due to the advent of the international series?

SR: Definitely. A lot of high quality players now play on the Asian Tour. You can say Asian Tour is now the world tour. The scores that I'm doing now is same as I used to do four or five years back, but those scores aren't competitive at this level anymore. In order to compete, you'll have to improve every day, which is why I'm going to the USA every year to work on my technique and training with my psychological coach.

DS: But the international series has been a boon to golfers, too, as you get a lot of prize money even if you just make the cut?

SR: Indeed, but you can see that price of air tickets and hotel booking have increased quite a bit, so it doesn't make a considerable impact in the end. However, if you finish among the top 10, the prize money is considerably good.

DS: If you compare your game to what it was 10 years ago, what are the changes that you notice?

SR: Distance was my big lacking, which has improved a lot. I can compete anywhere with the distance that I cover, but still accuracy is an issue for me and I need to improve on it. I also need to be more consistent, which is what I'm working on.

DS: What's on the menu in Bangladesh golf?

SR: I'd be happier if you didn't ask me this question. All I can say is that we are back to where we were 20 years ago. If you look at India, they had 30 lac taka prize money events three years ago but now their minimum prize money is 80 lacs to 1 crore rupee. If you can't get sponsors, the sport will suffer and players will not come out.