Thailand’s Settee Prakongvech and Runchanapong Youprayong have established a commanding three-shot lead at the halfway stage of the am green IGPL Bharath Classic. The duo battled challenging winds along the Atlantic coast on Friday at the Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort to reach nine-under par for the US$500,000 tournament. Prakongvech delivered a brilliant bogey-free, seven-under-par 65 during the morning session, while overnight leader Youprayong salvaged his round with a 70 despite a difficult double-bogey stretch.

Entering the tournament after missing the cut in his last five starts, Prakongvech found his form by masterfully navigating the tricky two-to-three club winds. The 31-year-old, who is still hunting for his first Asian Tour victory, utilized a low ball flight to mitigate the conditions, carding four birdies on his front nine and three more on the back. “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,” Prakongvech explained, noting that everything in his game finally came together.

Youprayong started his day strong on the 10th tee, sinking a 20-foot birdie putt that sparked a five-birdie performance. However, the 26-year-old stumbled with a double bogey on the par-four fourth hole after pulling his tee shot left, though he remained pleased with how he handled the adversity. Sitting three strokes back in a tie for third place at six-under par is another Thai competitor, Ekpharit Wu, who fired a 67 alongside Austrian Niklas Regner, who posted a 72. Wu embraced the harsh weather, securing his strong finish with a 20-foot birdie putt on his final hole of the day.

Further down the leaderboard, India’s Karandeep Kochhar sits tied for fifth place at five-under par following a 73, representing the top performer for the co-sanctioning Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL). Meanwhile, Ayoub Lguirati carded a solid 67 to become the highest-placed Moroccan player in the field, moving into a tie for 12th at four-under par. The players will continue to battle the coastal elements through the weekend before the Asian Tour departs for Rabat next week to contest the US$2 million International Series Morocco.