Karandeep Kochhar bounced back from a missed cut with a polished 6-under 66 on the opening day of the USD 500,000 IGPL Bharath Classic at Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort in El Jadida, Morocco, on 5 June. The 26-year-old Indian sits just one shot behind overnight leader Runchanapong Youprayong of Thailand, who carded a 65.

Weekend Grind Pays Off

The turnaround was no accident. Having missed the cut the previous week at the same venue, Kochhar used his rare weekend break to put in intensive work on his putting at the Mazagan course. The effort continued through Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before the tournament began.

'I think the key to this round was putting. I felt like I hit the ball well last week as well but the putter was the main difference,' Kochhar said. 'The pace on the greens wasn't there. I would say, I was really much more comfortable than I had been the last week, but yeah, I think I'd really put in a lot of work over the last few days, trying to sort off my putting, and I'm very happy that it showed.'

Tough Conditions on the Course

Kochhar described a demanding day on the links, with stronger winds than the previous week and tees pushed back, forcing club-selection adjustments throughout the round. 'That whole stretch of 12, 13, 14, 15 is not easy,' he noted, adding that he hit a hybrid on one par-three and used it for second shots on par-fours as the course played considerably longer.

'The conditions weren't easy. I think today was definitely a little windier than last week,' he said. Despite that, his ball-striking held firm alongside the improved putting — a combination that had been missing in his previous outing.

Indian Presence in the Top 10

Fellow Indian Aryan Roopa Anand, a recent winner at the IGPL Congo, also made a strong start, carding a 4-under 68 to sit Tied-eighth. His presence reinforces a growing Indian footprint on the IGPL circuit.

Kochhar's Recent Form and Pedigree

Kochhar, a winner of four professional titles in India, added his first IGPL victory last year at the IGPL Dubai. He has been in consistent form since, finishing Tied-fourth at the Philippine Golf Championship and Tied-fifth at the International Series Japan. He also made cuts at both the New Zealand Open and the Singapore Open.

'I am looking forward to the next few rounds. The course is in great shape. It's not short, it's quite windy, the greens are good. So I'm looking forward to the next couple of days,' Kochhar said. With the field tightly packed and challenging conditions expected to persist, the weekend rounds will test whether his revamped putting holds up under pressure.