Prayad trails leader Siddikur by one shot

Siddikur and Prayad were neck-and-neck all afternoon before the Bangladeshi tapped a five-foot birdie home on the 17th hole to become the sole leader with an 11-under-par 202.

“This week I’m feeling great, especially today. I had a great start with a birdie and birdie. At the end of the round, I hit four-under. So I’m really happy for that,” said the 28-year-old man from Dhaka, who was tied at second 12 months ago here with Filipino Juvic Pagunsan, three behind winner Thaworn Wiratchant, who missed the cut on Friday.

“I had good memories here. The last couple of years I played really well. My goal is always to win the tournament. I’m really hungry for that,” said Siddikur. He is the first Bangladeshi to win an Asian Tour title, having taken the Brunei Open in 2010.

It was a roller-coaster ride for local veteran Prayad, who opened with three straight birdies, followed by back-to-back bogeys before finishing with a 68 and a 10-under-par total of 203.

“I was very lucky in the first three holes, getting myself from tough positions to hit birdies. Then my momentum stopped in the fourth and fifth holes as I drove into the sands. But overall it was a good day except for the 14th hole,” said Prayad. He missed easy putts that to a triple bogey on the 14th.

After that fiasco, Prayad bounced back quickly to collect two straight birdies. On the 16th, he sent home a superb 20-foot-putt from the fringe of the green for a share of the top place with Siddikur before the latter regained the lead.

But Prayad is determined to put in maximum effort in today’s final round to end his drought on the Asian Tour, which dates back to the Volvo Masters in 2007.

“It’s better to follow behind as there’s no pressure. I like to fight from behind. I still remain positive that I can win this tournament,” said Prayad, who was a stroke better than young gun Arnond Vongvanij, winner of the King’s Cup in Khon Kaen last December.

Arnond, who carded a 68 for an aggregate of nine-under-par 204, said: “I was an underdog and didn’t expect to win the King’s Cup because I was three strokes behind the leader after three rounds. This time it’s different because on this course you have to be really patient. I just have to play like the last three days and if I play well tomorrow and others don’t, I may have the chance.”

At lone fourth was India’s Anirban Lahiri, who sank five birdies and a bogey for a 67 and a total 205, a stroke better than Thai 17-year-old Jazz Janewattananond (70). Half-way leader Daisuke Kataoka of Japan had a poor day, hitting three bogeys and a double bogey on the 13th hole with only two birdies for a 74 and a total six–under-par 207. That left him at joint sixth with Malaysia’s Nicholas Fung (71).