June 5: Settee Prakongvech (main picture) and Runchanapong Youprayong opened up a three-shot lead in the US$500,000 am green IGPL Bharath Classic as they made it an all-Thailand affair at the top of the leaderboard after Friday’s second round.

Settee, playing in the morning session, handled the tricky windy conditions at the oceanside Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort course brilliantly in making a bogey-free seven-under par 65. That took him to nine-under par total at the halfway stage, where he was joined by overnight leader Runchanapong, who survived a double bogey-bogey stretch in his round of 70.

Another Thai player, Ekpharit Wu, winner of the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open last year, showed his love for windy golf courses once again, shooting a 67 to move into a tie for third place at six-under par alongside Austrian Niklas Regner (72).

Karandeep Kochhar (73) was the best-placed player from the tournament’s co-sanctioning partners Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL), tied for fifth place at five-under. He was joined there by Indian teenager Kartik Singh (69), Philippines’ Lloyd Jefferson Go (71), American MJ Maguire (70), Sweden’s Charlie Lindh (70), South African Ian Snyman (72) and New Zealand’s Nick Voke (72).

Runchanapong Youprayong of Thailand. Picture courtesy: Storyline/IGPL.

Ayoub Lguirati was the top Moroccan player after a solid round of 67 lifted him to tied 12th place at four-under par.

Settee came into the tournament having missed cuts in each of his last five starts. But on a difficult scoring day that tested the Asian Tour field, he found his touch.

While some of the players spoke about the two-to-three club wind as the day progressed, the 31-year-old seemed to be playing in a bubble of his own. He made four birdies on the front nine, and as the wind picked up further, he added three more on the back nine. That included a birdie on the long par-4 fourth hole that Settee said “felt like an eagle”.

“I think that I am a better player in the wind because I hit it low. So, it’s not affecting my ball flight too much,” said the 31-year-old, who is yet to win on the Asian Tour.

“I just started to play better. Everything came together. I hit a lot of fairways and hit some good approach shots. And, I was lucky to have made some putts. They weren’t easy putts, but I just tried my best and made them.”

Ekpharit Wu of Thailand. Picture courtesy: Storyline/IGPL.

Runchanapong started his round from the 10th tee with a birdie when he slotted home a 20-footer birdie putt. That lifted his mood immediately and he kept playing solid golf to make four more birdies. However, his score was impacted by a double bogey on the par-4 fourth hole (his 13th).

“My front nine was good. The birdie on the 10th hole kind of got things going. It was blowing out there for sure. But on the back nine, we had to wait a little bit on the fourth and that kind of tightened my back a little bit. Just made a bad swing there. But overall, I was very solid and I am happy how I handled myself throughout the adversity out there,” said the 26-year-old, looking for his first Asian Tour win.

“I hit it left off the tee and made a double. It happened to me last week as well (playing an ADT event at the same course where he finished third). I made a seven back then. Luckily, I made a six today, so that was good.”

Ekpharit started from the 10th tee and made just one bogey – on the par-four sixth hole late in his round. But he more than made up for that with a birdie on his closing hole, the ninth.

“Today was very good. I can handle these conditions, so I’m happy for that,” said Ekpharit. “I felt like I had more power, more energy, today. I think it’s because I take a lot of rest.

“I have this one thing… like I trust the wind to be a friend before going out to play on courses like this. That is very helpful.

“That birdie on the ninth was probably my best of the day. I made a long putt, about 20 feet, and I’m very happy about that one.”

Regner, winner of an ADT event in the African continent last year, made four birdies, but lost that advantage with four bogeys.

“It wasn’t as good as yesterday. I would say even the wind was not picking up as much as yesterday in the first few holes, but it was quite strong in the last few holes. The pins were also a little bit more tucked on the greens, so yeah, overall, I’m happy with minus six after two rounds,” he added.

Karandeep Kochhar of India. Picture courtesy: Storyline/IGPL.

Kochhar, who also won an ADT event in Egypt last year to regain his card on the Asian Tour, was disappointed with two late birdies on the fourth and ninth holes.

“I got a little unlucky on the last. Just had a small putt of four-odd feet. I thought I hit a good putt, but it just went the other way. Definitely, don’t want to finish with a three-putt on the last, but I still think I played really well today. May be, missed two small putts coming in,” said Kochhar, who sank a long 30-footer putt for birdie on the 17th hole.

“Would have loved to have those two short putts back, but other than that, I’m not too concerned. The putting actually has been very good because I’ve worked on it a lot over the weekend.”

The tournament, which forms part of the Asian Tour’s three-week visit to Morocco, is co-sanctioned by IGPL. After back-to-back tournaments at Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort, built on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, the Asian Tour will move to Rabat next week for the US$2 million International Series Morocco presented by Visit Morocco.