It wasn’t long ago that the nation of Bangladesh routinely was included on lists of “basket-case” countries with little or no chance of ever escaping grinding poverty for its masses of people. That was the global shorthand for Bangladesh. Where everyone is starving to death.

Things may be looking up. A little.

The per-capita income in the world’s seventh-largest country (by population) was still only $520 in 2008, compared to the world average of over $10,000.

But it seems as if the country is sending out tens of thousands of overseas workers who help prop up families back home — and many of them are here in the UAE.

And one particular overseas worker just won $47,550 for a single weekend of work.

That would be the golfer Siddikur. Yes. The champion Bangladeshi golfer. Named Siddikur.

I think this is one of the best stories of the sports year so far.

Until Sunday, no Bangladeshi had won a professional golf tournament of any significance. Not even on the Asian Tour, which is highly competitive but not on a par with the European Tour, never mind the PGA.

Then along came Siddikur.

One of four sons in a poor (well, that’s probably redundant) Bangladeshi family, he was hired to be a caddy at a country club (!) in the capital of Dhaka, and then selected for a development program.

His first club was the head of a 7-iron jammed onto the end of a metal rod. It seemed to work for him.

On Sunday, he won the $300,000 Brunei Open by a single stroke, and made a lot of Bangladesh sports history.

A release from the Asian Tour quotes Sidduker saying, “I hope to inspire more people to take up the game of golf in Bangladesh. This is a good victory for me and my country. I have come a long way and I hope my victory will create more opportunities for professional golfers in Bangladesh.”

The idea of making  $47,500 in a single weekend seems like a good start on the “inspiration” thing. That’s, what, about 90 times the average yearly income for Bangladeshis?

Anyway, the country noticed. The Daily Star, one of the country’s English-language newspapers, had his victory on the front page.

It quoted his father, Shafiqal Islam, as saying, “I could have never dreamed of what he has done. I’m proud of him. We have been living in Manikdi. It is a place people call the criminal’s den. I have seen so many youths being spoiled. But I’m very happy that my four sons have avoided bad company in extreme hardship.”

The history of Bangladesh sports isn’t impressive. No Olympic medals. No World Cup appearances. Read the wiki entry on it, and aside from a competent cricket team and a really bizarre “national sport” … the sports successes have been few. Which is to be expected in a place where 75 percent of the population is in the agricultural sector — trying to find enough to eat.

Here is a link to the release from the Asian Tour. A pretty amazing story.