Four Indians Inside Top-10 as Trishul Chinnappa Leads Strong Challenge at Morocco Rising Stars
India enjoyed an encouraging start at the AM Green IGPL Morocco Rising Stars 2026 as four Indian golfers finished inside the top 10 after the opening round at the Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort in El Jadida, Morocco.
Trishul Chinnappa, Sudhir Sharma, Raghav Chugh and Syed Saqib Ahmed all carded rounds of three-under-par 69 to occupy a share of eighth place, just three shots behind first-round leader Hoho Yue of Hong Kong. The US$160,000 event, co-sanctioned by the AM Green Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) and the Asian Development Tour (ADT), is the fifth stop of both tours this season and has attracted a strong international field.
While Hong Kong's Hoho Yue stole the headlines with a brilliant six-under-par 66, the depth of India's challenge was one of the major talking points of the opening day. With six Indians inside the top 20 and four players firmly in contention near the top of the leaderboard, the country has positioned itself strongly heading into the remaining rounds.
Among the Indian contingent, Trishul Chinnappa's round was perhaps the most impressive. The Bengaluru golfer endured a difficult opening stretch and appeared unlikely to feature near the top of the leaderboard after reaching two-over-par through ten holes. He had mixed three bogeys with two birdies on the front nine before another bogey on the tenth pushed him further behind.
However, what followed was one of the best stretches of golf seen during the opening round. Chinnappa birdied five of his final six holes, including four consecutive birdies from the 13th to the 16th. The late surge transformed his round and propelled him into a share of eighth place. A key factor behind the comeback was his exceptional putting, requiring just 25 putts throughout the day.
Reflecting on his round, Chinnappa highlighted a crucial bogey-saving putt early in the day that helped preserve momentum before his dramatic finish. He also credited a strong up-and-down on the 11th hole as a turning point before launching his birdie run.
Sudhir Sharma matched Chinnappa's 69 through a very different route. Starting on the back nine, Sharma produced one of the highlights of the day with an eagle on the par-five 14th. He added another birdie on the 17th to reach three-under at the turn before moving to four-under with a birdie on the first hole. A roller-coaster finish featuring two birdies and three bogeys eventually left him with a three-under total.
Syed Saqib Ahmed also impressed, particularly on the inward half. After an even-par opening nine that featured one birdie and one bogey, Saqib played flawless golf on the back nine, collecting three birdies without dropping a shot.
Raghav Chugh's consistency was equally notable. The young Indian mixed five birdies with just two bogeys during a well-controlled round that kept him among the leaders throughout the day.
For all four golfers, the performance represents another positive step in their search for a maiden title on either the AM Green IGPL Tour or the Asian Development Tour.
India's challenge extends beyond the top 10. Samarth Dwivedi and Shaurya Bhattacharya both carded two-under-par 70 to finish tied 17th, while Indian-American golfer Varun Chopra, another regular on the AM Green IGPL Tour, joined them on the same score.
The strong representation near the top of the leaderboard gives India multiple contenders heading into the second round and increases hopes of a potential victory in Morocco.
Leading the tournament after the opening round is Hong Kong's Hoho Yue, who carded a six-under-par 66. The 26-year-old produced one of the moments of the day on the par-five seventh hole when his second shot from 260 yards nearly resulted in an albatross before settling for an eagle. He added six birdies to move one shot clear of his nearest challengers.
American Nathan Han and Thailand's Runchanapong Youprayong share second place at five-under-par, while four players are tied for fourth at four-under.
Not all Indian players enjoyed the same success. Pukhraj Singh Gill, fresh from his Asian Development Tour victory in Malaysia and currently third on the ADT Order of Merit, looked set for a strong opening round after reaching four-under-par early in his round. However, a costly triple bogey on the third hole followed by a double bogey on the sixth derailed his challenge. He eventually signed for a one-over-par 73 and finished tied 56th.
Karandeep Kochhar, winner of the ADT event in Egypt last year, endured a frustrating day of missed opportunities. Despite recording 17 pars and only one bogey, he was unable to convert birdie chances and also finished tied 56th.
With three rounds still to play, however, the tournament remains wide open. For now, the spotlight belongs to Chinnappa and his fellow Indians inside the top 10, who have given the country a strong platform from which to challenge for the title in Morocco.
Comments (0)
to post comments, replies, and votes.
Loading comments…
