Dhaka, Bangladesh, April 5: Young Thai talent Sadom Kaewkanjana stands on the verge of his Asian Tour breakthrough after signing for a three-under-par 68 on Friday to take a two-shot lead heading into the final round of the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open.

The 20-year-old Sadom, who is making his first start on Tour after coming through the Qualifying School last December, marked his card with four birdies against a bogey to stay atop the leaderboard with an 18-under-par 195 total at the Kurmitola Golf Club.

Sadom’s overnight three-shot lead was reduced to two by his closest rival Rashid Khan of India, who narrowed the gap after carding a bogey-free 67, highlighted by an eagle and two birdies, to sit in second place at the US$350,000 Asian Tour full-field event.

Sadom Kaewkanjana of Thailand

India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu returned with the day’s best score of a 65, thanks to six birdies, including four in-a-row from the 11^th hole, to trail by six shots in solo third in the tournament, which is celebrating its fifth consecutive edition on the Asian Tour this week.

Siddikur Rahman remained the highest-placed Bangladeshi after posting a flawless 68 to tie in fourth place with Australia’s Maverick Antcliff (69) on 202. Last year’s joint runner-up Jack Harrison of England settled a further shot back in sixth following a 68.

Sadom, who has already broken through on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) last month, is chasing to become the third Thai player following Thitiphun Chuayprakong (2016) and Jazz Janewattananond (2017) to win the National Open of Bangladesh.

Should he accomplish the feat on Sunday, he would also become the record fastest Qualifying School graduate to win on the Asian Tour.

The Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open 2019 welcomed a new title sponsor in the National Bank Ltd, a public limited bank in Bangladesh. The tournament has been named in honour of the father of the nation of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Rashid Khan of India

Did you know?

• Sadom Kaewkanjana leads the field in birdies made with 19 after three rounds. He is also tied for the lead with 81.48% greens in regulation.
• Sadom secured his 2019 Asian Tour card in his first attempt at the Qualifying School last December.
• He turned professional at the end of 2018 and broke through on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) after claiming his first professional victory at the Thongchai Jaidee Foundation in February.
• Sadom enjoyed a tied-sixth finish on the Asian Tour when he played the 2018 Queen’s Cup presented by Bangchak as an amateur last year.
• Sadom enjoyed an illustrious amateur career prior to joining the play-for-pay ranks. He was ranked as high as 10th position on the Official World Amateur Rankings and his amateur wins include the 2017 Malaysian Amateur Open, 2017 All Indian Amateur and the 2018 Dutch International Junior Open. Also won the 2017 Singha Pattaya Open on his domestic circuit as an amateur.
• Sadom first played at the Kurmitola Golf Club four years ago where he came in second at the 30th Bangladesh Amateur Golf Championship.
• Rashid Khan, who turned professional in 2010, is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour. He won twice in Thailand and India in 2014.
• Khan has been enjoying a good run of form since winning on his domestic circuit in Mumbai last December. He won again in Bangladesh last month before claiming a solid top-10 finish at the Hero Indian Open last week.
• Khan averaged 1.5 putts per Green in regulation and is ranked first in the field in that statistic category.
• Ajeetesh Sandhu is a one-time winner on the Asian Tour. A week after claiming his first Asian Tour title in Chinese Taipei in 2017, Sandhu went on to win the Taiheiyo Club Challenge Tournament on the Japan Challenge Tour.
• Sandhu claimed three top-10 finishes in 2018 to finish in 28^th position on the Habitat for Humanity Standings.
• He has not dropped a single shot in his last 46 holes at the 2019 Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open.
• Siddikur Rahman marked the best ever result produced by a Bangladeshi at the 2017 Bangladesh Open. He birdied the 18th hole to close with a five-under-par 66 and a 13-under-par 271 total, finishing four shots shy of winner Jazz to take second place on his own.
• The Kurmitola Golf Club is the home course of Siddikur, who used to work as a ball boy at the club to support his studies. He is currently attached to Kurmitola Golf Club as an honorary member.
• Siddikur became the first player from Bangladesh to win on the Asian Tour when he emerged victorious at the Brunei Open in 2010. Also became the first sportsman from his country to qualify for the 2016 Olympics on merit and was accorded the honour of becoming Bangladesh’s flagbearer during the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.

Ajeetesh Sandhu of India