Karandeep Kochhar remained the leading Indian contender at the USD 500,000 IGPL Bharath Classic in El Jadida, Morocco after Round 3 on 7 June, sitting at 7-under par in tied 10th place heading into the final day of the Asian Tour event. The 27-year-old Chandigarh golfer carded a 2-under 70, though he acknowledged the round could have been considerably better.

Kochhar's Round: Missed Chances in the Wind

Kochhar opened steadily, picking up birdies on the 3rd and 6th holes before parring the next ten in his opening 12. A bogey on the 13th was partially offset by a birdie on the 16th, leaving him with a workmanlike 70. He slipped from tied fifth overnight to tied 10th as gusting winds tightened scoring conditions across the field.

Reflecting on the round, 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.'

Kochhar, who has already recorded two Top-5 finishes on the Asian Tour this season, is still searching for his maiden victory on the circuit. He played alongside fellow Indian Kartik Singh in Saturday's round.

Settee Extends Lead to Three Shots

Thailand's Settee Prakongvech, 31, fired a bogey-free 68 to surge to 13-under par, opening a three-shot cushion over his nearest rivals. Settee, a professional since 2014, is himself chasing a first Asian Tour title. Notably, his previous best result at this event was a Top-10 at the 2025 Bharath Classic in Ahmedabad, and his best Asian Tour finish in the last two years was seventh place at the International Series Morocco in July of that year.

His round featured three consecutive birdies from the 5th to 7th holes and an additional birdie on the 12th, bookended by five opening pars and six closing pars.

Leaderboard: Tight Battle for the Podium

Overnight joint leader Runchanapong Youprayong carded a 71 — hurt by a late double bogey — to sit at 10-under in tied second, alongside Sweden's Charlie Lindh, who posted a 67. Lindh was the runner-up at the Kolon Korea Open.

England's Sam Broadhurst and Thailand's Poom Saksansin are tied fourth at 9-under, after rounds of 65 and 67 respectively. Broadhurst's 65 matched the day's joint-best score. Americans Charles Porter and MJ Maguire, England's Steve Lewton, and South Africa's Ian Snyman are clustered at tied sixth on 8-under. Snyman is seeking a second Asian Tour win in his last three starts.

Indian Contingent: Mixed Fortunes

Gaganjeet Singh Bhullar and Pukhraj Singh Gill, both former IGPL winners, each shot 69 to climb to tied 36th. Bhullar carded four birdies — including three consecutive on holes 3 through 5 of his back nine — against one bogey. Gill recorded an eagle on the 18th, four birdies, and three bogeys.

Kartik Singh, who had been tied fifth overnight, tumbled to tied 36th after a 3-over 75. Also at 36th were Yashas Chandra (71), Raghav Chugh (70), and Rashid Khan (69). Shaurya Bhattacharya, who carded an eagle alongside two birdies, two bogeys, and a double bogey in a round of 72, sits at tied 49th.

Tournament Context

The IGPL Bharath Classic forms the centrepiece of the Asian Tour's three-week Morocco swing, which began with the IGPL Morocco Rising Stars and concludes next week with the International Series Morocco — a USD 2 million event in Rabat. With one round remaining, Sunday's final round will determine whether an Indian player can break into contention or whether Settee seizes his long-awaited first Asian Tour title.