El Jadida, June 7 (IANS) Karandeep Kochhar stayed as the best Indian at the USD 500,000 IGPL Bharath Classic with one more to go in the Asian Tour event.
The 27-year-old Chandigarh golfer shot 2-under 70 as he moved to 7-under total but slipped from Tied-fifth overnight to Tied-10th as the wind continued to challenge the golfers.
The leader is Thailand’s Settee Prakongvech, who carded 68 and moved to 13-under and three ahead of his nearest rivals, overnight joint leader Runchanapong Youprayong (71) and Sweden’s Charlie Lindh (67).
For Kochhar it was a day of missed opportunities as he failed to convert the chances he created especially towards the finish.
Kochhar, who has already logged two Top-5 results on the Asian Tour this season, and is searching for his maiden Asian Tour win, played in the group with fellow Indian Kartik Singh. Kochhar birdied the third and the sixth and parred the remaining ten in his first 12 holes. A bogey on the 13th and a birdie on the 16th completed his day with a 70.
Despite a modest 70, that could have been a least two or three better, Kochhar said, “Still, a good day. I guess I just hung in there all day. I think I didn’t have my best but scrambled around. I didn’t give myself enough opportunities for birdies, but did make a few good birdies. I think coming in I had really some really good putts on 15, 17, 18, just got unlucky with those birdie putts. On the 16th, I made a birdie, but it was nothing on 15, 17, 18.
The putts were good and close, and just burned the edges, but that’s okay. I think I’m 10th now and I need to push more to finish a little higher tomorrow and end the week on a good note.”
Making upward moves were Gaganjeet Singh Bhullar and Pukhraj Singh Gill, both IGPL winners, who shot 69 each and moved to T-36 up from over -49.
Starting on the 10th, Bhullar had four birdies, which included three in a row on his second nine from the third to the fifth, against one bogey (13th), while Gill, who also started on the tenth, had an eagle on the 18th, his ninth hole, four birdies and three bogeys.
Kartik Singh, who was T-5 overnight, slipped to T-36 with a round of 3-over 75.
Also tied at 36th place were Yashas Chandra (71), Raghav Chugh (70) and Rashid Khan (69).
Shaurya Bhattacharya had an eagle in his round of 72 that also included two birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey. He was T-49.
Settee, 31, has been a pro since 2014, but is still looking for his maiden win on the Asian Tour. He has not finished inside Top-60 this season, but interestingly his last Top-10 was at the 2025 Bharath Classic in Ahmedabad and his best on the Asian Tour in last two years has been seventh place at International Series Morocco last July.
Settee opened with five pars and closed with another six pars, but in between he birdied three times in a row from the fifth to the seventh and added one more on the 12th for a bogey free 68 and moved to 13-under.
Overnight joint leader Runchanapong turned in 2-under but was hit by a late double bogey, which however was followed by a birdie. HIs 71 saw him in tied second place at 10-under alongside Sweden’s Charlie Lindh (67), who was the runner-up a Kolon Korea Open.
England’s Sam Broadhurst shot the days equal best score of 65, rose to tied fourth place with Thailand’s Poom Saksansin (67) at nine-under.
American Charles Porter (65) matched the lowest round of the day and moved to tied sixth place at eight-under with fellow American MJ Maguire (69), England’s Steve Lewton (68) and the in-form South Africa’s Ian Snyman (69), who is seeking a second Asian Tour win in his last three starts.
Ayoub Lguirati added a 70 to remain the top Moroccan player, tied 16th at six-under par.
The tournament forms part of the Asian Tour’s three-week run in Morocco, which began with the IGPL Morocco Rising Stars last week and is now continuing with the IGPL Bharath Classic and will conclude with the International Series Morocco for the USD 2 million event in Rabat.
–IANS
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