Siddikur Rahman’s affinity for Delhi Golf Club (DGC) was clearly evident once again today when he took the first-round lead in The DGC Open presented Mastercard at the iconic golfing venue.

Bangladesh’s ace golfer, the winner of India’s national Open here in 2013 who also has 12 other top 10 finishes at DGC on the Asian Tour, fired an imperious seven-under-par 65.

Defending champion Nitithorn Thippong from Thailand, Filipino Justin Quiban and India’s Rashid Khan finished the day in a tie for second after shooting 67s – in the sixth Asian Tour event of the season.

Last week Siddikur, aged 38, shared the third-round lead in the International Series Thailand after firing one of the finest rounds of his 18-year professional career, an eight-under-par 64. He slipped back on the final day finishing in a tie for 27^th but he showed today that he is very much a player in form.

“Last week I played really good, and I am trying to maintain that confidence this week,” he said.

“It was a wonderful day today. I am hitting really, really, good, and putting really good. Especially happy it is a bogey free round.”

He chipped in twice for birdies, on eight and 17, and made seven birdies in total, two on the front, five on the back.

He added: “I have been working on my fitness, my technique, my mental training – so that’s starting to pay off, I can hit any shot I want. It is all starting to work.”

Nicknamed ‘the Tiger of Dhaka’, he is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour (he also won the Brunei Open in 2010). Although relatively subdued over the past four years he showed glimpses of his former self by finishing tied third in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters and joint fourth in the Bangladesh Open last year.

Nitithorn, who beat Indian Ajeetesh Sandhu in a sudden-death play-off here last year, made a late rally finishing eagle, birdie.

He started his round on hole 10 and made the turn in two under with birdies on 11 and 15. Another birdie on the first suggested he was settling into his stride, but he made his only bogey of the day on the following hole before his fine finish.