Karandeep Kochhar One Shot Off Lead at AM Green IGPL Bharath Classic; Aryan Roopa Anand Also in Top 10

India’s Karandeep Kochhar made an impressive start to the US$500,000 AM Green IGPL Bharath Classic, carding a six-under-par 66 to move into a share of second place after the opening round at the Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort in El Jadida, Morocco.

The Chandigarh golfer sits just one shot behind Thailand’s Runchanapong Youprayong, who produced a brilliant seven-under 65 to take the first-round lead in the tournament, which forms part of the Asian Tour and Indian Premier Golf League’s three-event North African swing.

Kochhar’s strong opening round was complemented by another encouraging performance from fellow Indian Aryan Roopa Anand, who continued his impressive recent form with a four-under 68 to remain firmly inside the top 10.

Kochhar arrived in Morocco looking to bounce back from a disappointing week where he failed to make the cut. The 26-year-old responded in style with one of the finest rounds of the day. A winner on the AM Green IGPL Tour in Dubai last year, Kochhar got off to a flying start with four consecutive birdies from the second hole. His aggressive play helped him turn in five-under 31 before adding two more birdies on the back nine.

The only blemish on his card came in the form of a lone bogey, as he signed for a six-under 66 and a share of second place alongside Australia’s Will Florimo and Austria’s Nicklas Regner.

Reflecting on his performance, Kochhar credited improvements in his putting after spending extra time working on that aspect of his game earlier in the week.

“I think I played really well overall. I drove it well, hit the irons well and putted well because I think last week I struggled with my putting,” Kochhar said. “I put in a lot of work over the weekend and the first few days on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday as well. I think all of that work really showed in today's round.”

The Indian golfer also acknowledged the challenges posed by the coastal Moroccan layout, particularly during windy conditions.

“The course wasn't playing that easy, especially midway through the round. It was really windy and that stretch of 12, 13, 14 and 15 is not easy,” he added.

Kochhar remains optimistic about his chances over the next three rounds.

“The course is in great shape. It's not short, it's quite windy and the greens are good. So I’m looking forward to the next couple of days.”

Another Indian enjoying a productive spell is Aryan Roopa Anand. The Mysuru golfer, who secured his breakthrough professional title at the AM Green IGPL Congo event last month, continued to build on that confidence with a four-under 68. Despite making two bogeys, Aryan produced six birdies during his round, including a remarkable stretch of three consecutive birdies from the third to the fifth holes.

His 68 placed him inside the top 10 and kept him within touching distance of the leaders heading into the second round.

The former two-time All India Amateur champion has emerged as one of India’s most exciting young prospects this season, and another strong week in Morocco could further elevate his standing on the Asian Tour circuit.

Several other Indians also remained well placed after the opening day. Asian Tour regular Shaurya Bhattacharya, Raghav Chugh and young Kartik Singh all returned rounds of two-under 70 to occupy a share of 24th place. Veteran Harendra Gupta, former Indian Open champion C. Muniyappa, Trishul Chinnappa and amateur Jai Bahl posted one-under 71s to sit tied 50th.

However, some of India’s biggest names endured difficult starts.

Four-time IGPL winner and 11-time Asian Tour champion Gaganjeet Bhullar struggled to a three-over 75 and faces a battle to make the cut. Six-time Asian Tour winner SSP Chawrasia also carded 75 and will need a strong second round to remain in contention for the weekend.

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At the top of the leaderboard, Thailand’s Runchanapong Youprayong continued his excellent form. Fresh from a third-place finish at last week’s AM Green IGPL Morocco Rising Stars event held at the same venue, the Thai golfer used his familiarity with the course to great effect.

Starting from the first tee, Runchanapong recorded eight birdies and just one bogey in a flawless display of course management.

After making his lone bogey on the fourth hole, he responded brilliantly, playing the final 11 holes in six-under par to seize the outright lead.

“I felt like I hit in good positions quite a lot and I planned my way around the golf course pretty well,” said the Thai golfer. “That was the key takeaway that I learned from last week – where I want to leave the golf shot.”

With only one shot separating the leader from a group of challengers that includes Kochhar, the tournament remains wide open after the opening round. Australian Will Florimo, Austrian Nicklas Regner, South Africa’s Ian Snyman, New Zealand’s Nick Voke and Australian Jed Morgan are all within striking distance heading into the second day.

The AM Green IGPL Bharath Classic is the second event of the North African Adventure series jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Indian Premier Golf League. Following this week’s event, players will head to Rabat for the US$2 million International Series Morocco presented by Visit Morocco.

For India, the opening day belonged to Karandeep Kochhar and Aryan Roopa Anand, both of whom have placed themselves firmly in contention as the battle for the title intensifies in Morocco.