Bangladeshi Siddikur Rahman is determined to wrap up his final warm-up for the Olympic Games with a good showing at the Kingâs Cup presented by PTT Group this week.
Siddikur became the first ever Bangladeshi to qualify for the Olympics Games on merit after cementing his status as one of the top 60 players for next monthâs tournament in Rio de Janeiro
But before departing for Brazil, Siddikur, who will be the flagbearer for Bangladesh at the Gamesâ opening ceremony, is hoping for a slice of personal glory at the Kingâs Cup which starts at the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club on Thursday.
âI want to do well at the Kingâs Cup so that Iâll head into the Olympics with a lot of confidence.
âThatâs why this is also a very important week for me,â said Siddikurm who will leave for Rio next Tuesday.
While Siddikur is looking forward to a good showing at the Kingâs Cup, he is also cautious of aggravating his back which has been his Achilles heel for a long time.
âMy back is good and Iâm really managing myself well. I struggled a bit a few years back but now, itâs good.
âSo far, there has been no problem, Iâm enjoying my golf and I really want to thank god for that,â said Siddikur.
Fellow Olympian Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines is also using the Kingâs Cup as his last preparation event before he heads to the worldâs greatest sporting spectacle.
âIâm very excited about going to Rio next week. Itâs always an honour to represent my country.
âI always represent my country whenever I play but itâs a bit more special now as this is the Olympics and itâs the biggest sporting event in the world,â said Tabuena.
Tabuena, who is currently fourth on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, has been enjoying a rich vein of form since his maiden breakthrough on home soil last year.
He already has two top-five finishes in Singapore and Malaysia this year and made his dream debut at the U.S. Open after topping the sectional qualifiers last month.
âI never join a tournament thinking that I cannot win. This is my last tournament before the Olympics.
âMy game is in a really good place now. It would be nice to win this week as that would give me a huge confidence boost in Rio,â said Tabuena.
Thailandâs Thaworn Wiratchant can meanwhile scupper Siddikur and Tabuena chances of winning the Kingâs Cup as he is ready to mount a stout defence of his title.
Thawornâs 18th Asian Tour victory at the Kingâs Cup in 2014 was also his last and he makes no bones about returning to the winnerâs circle again.
âThe Kingâs Cup is a very special event. Itâs the pride of Thailand which we are fighting for and this will further motivate me to play well.
âI want to win the trophy again and keep it on home soil again,â said the 49-year-old.
For the first time in the history of the Kingâs Cup, the tournament will be sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour and local viewers will get the chance to catch all four days of live action on the TrueVisions network in Thailand.
The field for the Kingâs Cup will comprise of 90 players from the Asian Tour, 25 from The European Tour, 25 from Thailand PGA and 16 invite spots.
Prize money earned from the tournament will count towards the Asian Tourâs Order of Merit and also on the Race to Dubai ranking on The European Tour.