India's Karandeep Kochhar delivered a composed, bogey-free final-round 68 at the USD 500,000 IGPL Bharath Classic in El Jadida, Morocco on 8 June, securing a share of ninth place and his third top-10 finish of the Asian Tour season. Sweden's Charlie Lindh claimed the title in style, firing a tournament-best closing 64 to finish at 18-under-par and win by four shots.

Kochhar's Steady Week

Kochhar carded rounds of 66, 73, 70 and 68 to finish at 11-under-par, sharing ninth place. The 28-year-old from Chandigarh, who won the IGPL Dubai event earlier this season, was consistently accurate off the tee and in approach play throughout the week. His only recurring frustration was on the greens — he required at least 28 putts per round, including 34 during his second-round 73.

Sunday's final round was his cleanest. He picked up birdies on the 3rd, 10th, 11th and 14th holes to post a four-under effort, finishing the tournament with 16 birdies in total. The result moved him to 12th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit. Kochhar, who also recorded a tied-fifth at the International Series Japan this season, has yet to claim a maiden Asian Tour title — his only professional win came on the Asian Development Tour in Egypt.

Lindh's Winning Charge

Charlie Lindh began the final day three shots behind overnight leader Settee Prakongvech of Thailand. The Swede, who had finished runner-up at the Kolon Korea Open in his previous start, tore through the field with a breathtaking eight-under 64. He sealed the title with a 20-foot eagle putt from the fringe on the 18th hole, with childhood friend Isaac Bondesson on the bag.

'It feels good…feels really good. Feels like I'm still focused, but when everything settles a little bit, I will realise what I have done today. I have been playing good coming into this week, and I have been very, very excited to play golf the last couple of months, because the game has been feeling better. And thankfully, I got some good results today,' Lindh said after his round. The victory lifted him to third on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

The Leaderboard in Full

American Charles Porter briefly threatened a dramatic finish, drawing level at 16-under through 17 holes, but a wayward second shot into a water hazard on the 18th led to a double bogey, dropping him into a tie for second with Settee at 14-under. Thailand's Sarit Suwannarut and England's Sam Broadhurst shared fourth at 15-under after Suwannarut fired a 66. American Marcus Plunkett, Thailand's Poom Saksansin, and Runchanapong Youprayong tied for sixth at 12-under. Morocco's Ayoub Lguirati was the leading local performer, finishing tied 13th at nine-under.

Other Indian Performances

Gaganjeet Bhullar and Yashas Chandra were the next-best Indians, both finishing tied 27th at six-under. Bhullar closed with a 68 featuring five birdies and a lone bogey; Yashas was bogey-free with a 68. Rashid Khan, Kartik Singh, and Sachin Baisoya finished tied 41st at three-under. Baisoya's closing 67 was highlighted by eagles on the par-five 3rd and 7th holes. Shaurya Bhattacharya (tied 52nd), Aman Raj (tied 56th), Pukhraj Singh Gill, Raghav Chugh, and Udayan Mane also featured, while amateur Jai Bahl finished tied 67th.

What's Next

The Asian Tour moves to Rabat for the USD 2 million International Series Morocco presented by Visit Morocco. Kochhar and several other Indian players are expected to compete, looking to build on their encouraging showings from El Jadida as the season's Order of Merit race intensifies.