Malcolm Kokocinski (SWE) – Defending champion

I really enjoy playing here at the Kurmitola Golf Club. It feels good to be back. I have been playing well for the last couple of weeks but just made high numbers on the golf course. I have played a lot of new courses which I have not gotten used to as well.

But having said that, I am pretty familiar with the course here at the Kurmitola Golf Club. I had a few good results here when I played the Asian Development Tour events prior to my win.

Unfortunately, there was a big storm a few days ago and a couple of trees have fallen on the course. Apart from that, the conditions are good, not much difference from last year. It’s still in a good shape and I think it will be fun.

I pretty much remember every single shot from my final round last year. The win last year has definitely put my career in the right direction. It was stepping stone for me. I have played a lot of new golf courses now. I expected myself to do better after my win. It has been a long season but I am hoping to change my momentum after this week.

The bigger the event, the more pressure I put on myself but I learnt the most from playing bad then playing well so it’s a good thing.

This is a fun course. You can play it in so many different ways. I like to play aggressive and sometimes safe and you have to be smart around this course. I want to win again this week, absolutely.

Jazz Janewattananond (THA)

This is where I got my first win. The first win that kickstarted my career and led to where I am right now. It’s really nice to be back here to where I won two years ago.

It’s good to see how the course has changed. It’s just amazing to be back. Playing the course brings back a lot of good memories.

I see a lot of improvements in the golf course this year. It’s really unfortunate with the storm that we got earlier this week. I would say it could be easier with lesser trees but it’s still playing quite tough.

Siddikur Rahman (BAN)

I have a lot of good memories on this course. I had my best result at the Bangladesh Open here in 2017. I always hope for the best and it’s always nice to be back home playing my National Open.

The game is feeling good. I played some solid golf in Malaysia two weeks ago. I am really proud of myself with the good result that week. I hope to bring over the momentum this week.

It was unfortunate that trees were fallen due to the storm earlier this week. It felt pretty open without the trees so it might take awhile to get used to. The golf course is in top condition so I thought it was a pity that the storm came.

I believe we can still enjoy the course as much as before this week. I am really looking forward to this week. There is a lot of pressure when you play on your home course.

You can’t get away with that but with the way that I have been playing and the preparation work that I have done, I don’t think there will be a problem.

Carlos Pigem (Esp)

I am very excited to be here. This is my first tournament this year. My last tournament was the season-ending Indonesian Masters last December. I stopped playing for a couple of months. I needed to refresh my mind before I start playing again.

I am so happy to be back in Asia and playing again, especially in Bangladesh because I have played well here in 2015 and 2016. I can’t wait for the tournament to start on Wednesday.

I had a good two months off from golf. I spent time with my family and friends back home and made some holiday trips as well. I think I played too much last year and it got so tough for me. I thought I needed to stop a little bit.

I started working with a new coach as well and I am pretty excited. First tournament of the year, I am going to play with a new swing. I don’t know how it is going to go but it’s going to be really exciting. It will be a good test for me this week.

I don’t remember the course being so narrow off the tee, maybe because I was hitting the ball really straight that time (laughs).

Mardan Mamat (Sgp)

I always love coming back here. It’s nice to play a course that you have won before. I have a lot of good memories on this course and I feel positive just thinking about it on the course. I am hitting the ball really good now. Hopefully I can hole some putts this week.

It’s good to see the event coming back for the fifth year running. I think it’s very important for the development of the game here in this country. Everyone wants to have a chance to play their own National Open.

I am happy to see the tournament returning to the Asian Tour and the local players can play in their National Open. I would love to win for sure but I will be happy to cap a top-five finish.

Miguel Carballo (Arg)

The game is feeling good. I remember playing twice here last year. It’s nice to be back. The course would have been perfect to play on if not for the thunderstorm last night.

The conditions however are better than last year I thought. The greens are in better conditions. Hitting the fairways would be key this week. It will be easier if you can find the fairways.

Prayad Marksaeng (THA)

I’m playing the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open for the first time and I am here with good feeling after the Hero Indian Open. My putting is good shape at the moment. I hope to continue that. I have heard a lot about this event being a good event.

The venue is nice and it suits the game of Thai players. I would like to experience the course for myself this time and I will enjoy the game as well. I would like to play as many Asian Tour event as I can before I switch my focus to Japan later of the year.