DHAKA: Top Bangladesh golfer Siddikur Rahman hopes to make his name in Europe after becoming the first man from his country to win an Asian Tour event.

Rahman, 25, became an overnight celebrity in Bangladesh when he clinched the Asian Tour`s Brunei Open earlier this month, raising hopes of golf gaining popularity in the cricket-obsessed country.

Golf is a relatively unknown sport in Bangladesh, a nation of 146 million people, where there are only a handful of professional golfers, and only a small elite can afford to play amateur golf.

"Rahman left for Switzerland on Thursday to become the first-ever Bangladeshi to play golf in Europe," Kurmitola Golf Club executive director Anis-ul-Islam told AFP.

The former caddy, who turned professional in 2007, said he was excited about playing on the demanding European Tour.

"I have been dreaming to play on the European Tour since I was a child -- now my dream has come true at last," Rahman told a local newspaper before embarking on his first ever trip to Europe.

"I`ll be playing on the European Tour for two years, and if I can win an event there, I`ll get the chance to play the USPGA, my ultimate goal."

On Sunday, Arjun Atwal became the first player from neighbouring India to win on the USPGA Tour when he captured the Wyndham Championship.

The breakthrough win by 37-year-old Atwal has raised hopes that it could boost the popularity of the sport in his rapidly-developing country.

BDST: 1434HRS, August 27, 2010