Karandeep Kochhar arrives at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in the midst of one of the most consistent runs of his professional career, having recorded three top-10 finishes in just five Asian Tour starts this season.

The 26-year-old’s impressive form includes a tied-ninth finish at last week’s am green IGPL Bharath Classic, which came off a tied-fifth result at International Series Japan and fourth place at the Philippine Golf Championship. That strong run came after he claimed victory at the Egypt Golf Series Red Sea Open on the Asian Development Tour.

Reflecting on his season so far, Kochhar believes his results are a fair reflection of the progress he has made in his game.

“I think I’ve been playing really well this year. I’ve only played five events so far and I’ve already had three top-10 finishes, so that’s definitely encouraging,” said Kochhar.

“Even in the other events, I felt like I was playing solid golf. In New Zealand, I just had a poor Sunday, and in Singapore I wasn’t playing my best, but I still managed to make the cut, which I was happy about.”

That consistency has been tested over the past three weeks as Kochhar competed throughout Morocco’s unique professional golf swing, progressing from the Asian Development Tour and Asian Tour to this week’s International Series Morocco presented by Visit Morocco.

Having played all three events, the Indian admitted the stretch has been physically demanding, particularly in the challenging coastal conditions at Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort.

“It’s definitely been a bit taxing. The last two weeks at Mazagan were tough because it’s such a windy golf course, and playing in those conditions takes a lot more energy out of you,” he said.

“I’m definitely feeling a little tired, but I keep reminding myself how important, and potentially life-changing, this tournament is. I’ll have a long break after this week, so it’s worth giving everything I’ve got.”

Kochhar’s performances have also made him the leading Indian player in the events held in partnership between the Asian Tour and the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL), a role he takes considerable pride in.

“I think it’s awesome. There’s so much talent on the IGPL Tour and in Indian golf in general, so it was great to see the IGPL and Asian Tour come together for this partnership,” he said.

“I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to do well and finish as the top Indian player recently, and I definitely take pride in that. Of course, you always want to finish high on the leaderboard overall, but there’s also a part of me that wants to be the best Indian finisher each week.”

This week’s International Series field also gives Kochhar another opportunity he has been relishing, spending time alongside Indian golfing icon Anirban Lahiri.

The pair were already sharing some friendly competition before tournament week officially began.

“We actually had a little seven-hole match today. Me and Aryan (Roopa Anand) versus Anirban and Shaurya (Bhattacharya),” Kochhar said with a smile.

“Aryan and I were two down with two holes to play, but I birdied the last two holes to halve the match. I was pretty happy about that.”

Kochhar also values the chance to learn from one of India’s most accomplished golfers.

“Honestly, it’s amazing having Anirban here. It means a lot for all of us when someone with his experience comes out to The International Series and spends time playing practice rounds with us.

“He has so much knowledge from playing on the PGA Tour and LIV Golf over the years, and you can learn so much just being around him. Right now, he’s carrying the Indian flag in global golf, and he’s an amazing role model — not just as a player, but as a person too.

“We’re all really happy to have him here, and hopefully I get to play some more rounds with him this week.”

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Kochhar edged past young Veer Ganapathy and Pukhraj Singh at The Els Club in Dubai, the tenth event of the inaugural IGPL season.

A recent winner on the Asian Development Tour, Kochhar made amends for his runner-up finish at the IGPL Invitational Kolkata. Ganapathy, meanwhile, was left knocking on the door once again as his wait for a first professional win continued.

Kochhar carded a third straight 3-under 69 to finish on 9-under. Ganapathy, who appeared to be cruising towards victory, was left to rue a costly triple bogey on the par-4 14th on the back nine. He signed for an even-par 72 to finish one shot behind the winner.

Joining Ganapathy in tied second was Pukhraj, the winner of IGPL Jamshedpur. He shot a 2-under 70 to also finish on 8-under, one behind Kochhar.

Pranavi Urs – IGPL UAE

Pranavi Urs, the history-maker at IGPL Mumbai where she finished second behind Kochhar, claimed sole fourth. She shot a 1-under 71 to total 7-under for the 54 holes. Pranavi remains the first woman winner on the IGPL and the first woman to win a professional event while competing against men.

Gaganjeet Bhullar’s winning streak came to an end as he finished fifth after a round of 71 for a total of 6-under. His earlier rounds were 67 and 72. Bhullar had won on each of his previous three IGPL starts.

Shiv Kapur and Harbhajan Singh – IGPL UAE

Tournament host Shiv Kapur (72) finished tied 16th alongside Ridhima Dilawari (75) at 1-under overall. Jeev Milkha Singh, who flew in straight from Mauritius after finishing runner-up on the European Legends Tour, shot a 73 to place tied 18th on his IGPL debut.

Teenager Kartik Singh (71), SSP Chawrasia (72) and rookie professional Raghav Chugh (72) were tied for sixth. All three are still searching for their first IGPL Tour victory, with one event remaining this season in Colombo.

Order of Merit leader Aman Raj (73) finished tied with Hitaashee Bakshi, who once again produced a strong final round with a 6-under 66, and Mysuru golfer Yashas Chandra, who continues to trend upwards. Chandra shot 71 as the trio finished tied at 4-under.

Sachin Baisoya (67), Harendra Gupta (68), Kartik Sharma (70) and Gaurav Ghei (72) were tied for 12th place.

Gill, Kochhar and Urs were two shots behind Ganapathy after the second round. Holding a two-shot lead, Ganapathy looked set for victory before it slipped away on the back nine. Kochhar, who began the final round two shots adrift of the 36-hole leader, kept things steady. Three birdies in the opening eight holes kept the pressure on the young Bengaluru golfer. Despite a bogey on the ninth, Kochhar responded with birdies on the 13th and 14th. A dropped shot on the 15th proved his last blemish as he closed with three pars.

Ganapathy’s challenge unravelled on the 14th, where a triple bogey saw him fall from 11-under to 8-under. Kochhar birdied the same hole, creating a decisive four-shot swing.

Ganapathy had earlier made a shaky start with a double bogey, but two birdies and an eagle on the par-5 fifth, followed by another birdie on the eighth, put him back in the lead. His lone major error on the back nine proved costly as Kochhar held firm.

Pranavi endured an eventful final round, making six birdies, two on the front nine and four on the back. However, four bogeys on the front nine and one on the back resulted in a 71.

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At Sokhna Golf Club on Friday, Kochhar closed with a two-under par 70, which took him to 19-under par for the tournament, and three clear of England’s Matt Killen (67).

The win, and the cheque of US$21,875 takes Kochhar to No4 on the ADT Order of Merit, while Killen closed the gap on top with leader Tawit Polthai of Thailand. With just one tournament remaining on the schedule, Killen is approximately US$12,100 behind and would need a big finish at the Aramco Invitational Tournament, scheduled for November 26-29.

Thailand’s Weerawish Narkprachar (71) was solo third at 15-under, while Scotland’s Eric McIntosh (65) made a big jump to fourth place at -14 with the lowest round of the day.

Darcy Brereton (69), Carl Jano Corpus (69), Italy’s Andrea Saracino (70) and Sweden’s Calle Strandberg (72) were tied for fifth place at -12. Korea’s Minhyeok Yang (72) and Laos’ Thammasack Bouahom (76) rounded up the top-10 with tied ninth place.

Kochhar started the final round with a two-shot lead, but that vanished in the first three holes when he made two bogeys and Weerawish caught up with him with a birdie on the third. The Thai was in the mix until late in the back nine, where he bogied the 15th and 16th holes.

The 26-year-old Kochhar, who last won on the domestic PGTI Tour three years and eight months ago, steadied the ship with birdies on the fifth, seventh and eighth holes, and never looked back despite a determined charge from Killen.

“Feels great. Obviously, it has not sunken in yet, as it is almost four years since my last win. But this feels so good because I came here with just one goal, and that was to secure my Asian Tour card. I sacrificed a lot for that, and I think I have pretty much achieved my goal,” said Kochhar.

“Bogey-par-bogey was a tough start. I wasn’t really feeling the game was a little nervous to start with, but I think I pulled myself back well after that. The good thing was that I was not panicking after that start. I knew that I was playing well, and it was just a matter of being in the moment and being patient.

“I thought the birdie on the eighth hole was the one that turned everything around. I hit two good shots to the par-5 hole, and was just short of the green, from where I made a poor chip. But I made a very good 10-footer there, and that kind of told me it could be my day.”

Killen got to five-under par through 14 holes, but could not put the pressure on Kochhar over the closing holes.

“I am a little disappointed I didn’t make a couple more today. I’ve hit the ball pretty well all week, to be honest. I just did not hold as many putts as I would like,” said the Englishman, winner of the Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament on ADT in August.

“Obviously, it’s all coming down to the last event anyway, but the main goal was to just get as close to Tawit as I could. Kind of claw back as much as I could. I’ve got to play good at Aramco regardless. I have done well there in the past with a couple of top-10s.

“This whole year on the ADT was a good learning experience. I’m very happy my game is in a better place now when I go back to the Asian Tour. So, I’m looking forward to playing there next year.”

McIntosh started the day at seven-under and 10 behind the leader. A win would have been difficult from there, but he did a great job at climbing up the leaderboard and clinching his best finish of the season on the ADT.

“I got a pretty steady start the first two holes, and then holed a good putt on the third from about six feet for birdie, and then went on a wee run from there,” said the 26-year-old from Edinburgh, who graduated from Chicago’s Northwestern University.

“Had a bad bogey on 16, and then a good birdie at the last. It’s always nice to birdie the last, especially after I three-putted there yesterday from not very far. So a bit of redemption there.

“My big goal this week was just to be double digits under par and then see where that puts me. I did that, which was pleasing. Now, I have a great opportunity at the Aramco. The top two people pretty much secure the cards, so, this helps me go up the Order of Merit. The ADT has been very good, but to be able to have a chance to play the Asian Tour, that’s a great opportunity.

The Egypt Golf Series – Red Sea Open was the second successive week the Asian Development Tour was in the country, following the Egyptian Open. The final tournament of the 2025 schedule is the Aramco Invitational Tournament from November 26-29.

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