Kartik Singh Charges Into Top Five at Morocco Rising Stars
Indian teenager Kartik Singh emerged as the leading Indian contender after the second round of the AM Green IGPL Morocco Rising Stars 2026, carding a superb bogey-free 6-under 66 to climb into a share of fifth place at the Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort in El Jadida, Morocco.
The 17-year-old produced one of the best rounds of the day to move to 7-under for the tournament, placing himself firmly in contention heading into the weekend rounds of the US$160,000 event co-sanctioned by the AM Green IGPL Tour and the Asian Development Tour.
While Spain's Agusti Madalena surged into a commanding four-shot lead with a flawless 8-under 64, Kartik's impressive rise ensured India remained strongly represented near the top of the leaderboard.
Having opened with a 1-under 71 in the first round, Kartik entered the second day needing a strong performance to move into contention. The youngster responded in emphatic fashion. Starting on the tenth tee, Kartik wasted little time getting into rhythm, opening his round with a birdie before adding consecutive gains on the 14th and 15th holes.
He continued his momentum with another birdie on the 18th, turning in four-under and positioning himself among the day's biggest movers.
The back nine brought more success. Birdies on the fifth and sixth holes completed a flawless scorecard as Kartik signed for a bogey-free 66, one of the lowest rounds among the Indian contingent. The performance moved him to 7-under overall and into a tie for fifth place alongside Thailand's Tanapat Pichaikool and Runchanapong Youprayong.
Importantly, Kartik now sits only five shots behind the tournament leader with two rounds remaining.
While Kartik grabbed attention among Indian fans, Spain's Agusti Madalena produced the standout round of the tournament.The 25-year-old fired a sensational bogey-free 8-under 64 to move to 12-under overall and establish a four-shot advantage at the top of the leaderboard.Madalena's round featured eight birdies and could have been even better had he converted a six-foot eagle putt on the final hole.
The Spaniard later described it as the best round of his professional career. "That was really good, I think the best golf I have ever played. No mistakes, just a perfect round," Madalena said after his round. Despite spending five years as a professional without a top-10 finish in an Official World Golf Ranking event, he now finds himself in prime position to challenge for the biggest victory of his career.
While Kartik climbed into the top five, Raghav Chugh and Syed Saqib Ahmed remained India's next-best performers. Both players carded even-par rounds of 70 on Friday to move to 5-under overall. Although they slipped from their overnight positions inside the top ten, they remain well placed in tied 12th heading into the weekend.
With 36 holes still to play, both golfers remain within striking distance of the leaders and could still mount a charge up the leaderboard with a low round on Saturday. Meanwhile, Trishul Chinnappa, who had been tied eighth after the opening round, slipped to tied 25th after returning a 71.
India enjoyed a strong overall showing with ten players successfully making the cut, which fell at 1-under par. Alongside Kartik, Chugh, Saqib and Chinnappa, several other Indians advanced to the final two rounds. Samarth Dwivedi, Sachin Baisoya, Rashid Khan and Arjun Bhati all reached the weekend at 2-under overall and shared 36th position.
Milind Soni and Kartik Sharma also comfortably made the cut after strong second-round performances. Soni bounced back impressively from an opening 75 with a second-round 68, while Sharma followed a first-round 74 with a 69 to finish at 1-under and tied 45th. The strong Indian representation heading into the final rounds highlights the depth of talent currently competing on the AM Green IGPL Tour and Asian Development Tour.
While ten Indians progressed, a number of established names failed to survive the cut. Among the notable casualties was Olympian Udayan Mane, who was unable to advance to the weekend. Other prominent Indian golfers missing out included Sudhir Sharma, Shaurya Bhattacharya, Pukhraj Singh Gill, Karandeep Kochhar, Aryan Roopa Anand, Khalin Joshi, Shubham Jaglan and Aman Raj.
Their exits further underline the competitiveness of the field and the challenge posed by the demanding layout at Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort.
The Morocco Rising Stars event marks the fifth stop of both the 2026 AM Green IGPL Tour and the Asian Development Tour season. The tournament also serves as a precursor to an exciting fortnight of golf in Morocco. Next week, the same venue will host the US$500,000 AM Green IGPL Bharath Classic on the Asian Tour before attention shifts to The International Series Morocco.
For now, however, Indian hopes rest largely on Kartik Singh.
The teenager's bogey-free 66 has placed him firmly in contention, and with only five shots separating him from the leader, he heads into the weekend with a realistic opportunity of challenging for one of the biggest results of his young career.
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