El Jadida (Morocco), May 30 (IANS) Spain’s Agusti Madalena posted the lowest round of the tournament so far, building a four-shot lead. Meanwhile, Indian teenager Kartik Singh shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 in the second round of the USD160,000 IGPL Morocco Rising Stars 2026. Playing at the beautiful Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort, Kartik was on fire during this round. He is currently tied for fifth place, five shots behind the leader, in an event co-sanctioned by the IGPL and Asian Development Tour.

Kartik, who impressed during the 2025 IGPL Tour, scored a perfect 66 after beginning from the tenth position on the second day. He had shot 1-under on the first day and now stands at 7-under for 36 holes, trailing five shots behind leader Madalena (68-64), who is 12-under.

Three players, first-round leader Ho Ho Yue (66-70), fellow Hong Kong golfer Matthew Heung (68-68), and Argentine Franco Scorzato (68-68), were tied for second at 8-under.

Kartik is tied for fifth place with a Thai duo, Tanapat Pichaikool (70-67) and Runchanapong Youprayong (67-70), at 7-under.

Raghav Chugh (69-70) and Syed Saqib Ahmed (69-70), who were in the Top-10 after Day 1, fell to T-12, while Trishul Chinnappa (69-71), previously T-8, dropped to T-25.

A total of 10 Indian players advanced, finishing at 1-under. Other players who made the weekend include Samarth Dwivedi (70-72), Sachin Baisoya (71-71), Rashid Khan (72-70), and Arjun Bhati (72-70), all at 2-under and tied for 36th. Milind Soni (75-68) and Kartik Sharma (74-69) also made the cut at 1-under, sharing 45th place.

Madalena, 25, capitalized on the gentle morning conditions to shoot a bogey-free round with eight birdies. He might have scored lower but missed a six-foot eagle putt on the last hole. Despite not finishing in the top 10 in Official World Golf Ranking events in his five years as a professional, his perfect round of 64 could mark a turning point.

The eight-under 64, combined with his 68 in the first round, brought him to 12-under par going into the weekend, giving him a four-shot lead over the three players tied for second at 8-under. Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool (67) and Runchanapong Youprayong (70) were also in contention, tied for fifth at seven-under, along with Indian teenager Kartik Singh (66).

The top Moroccan player was Ayoub Id-Omar, who scored 68 and shared eighth place.

Starting from the tenth hole, Kartik Singh made a birdie, then added consecutive gains on holes 14 and 15, and another on the 18th. In his second nine, birdies on the fifth and sixth holes contributed to his impressive scorecard of 6-under 66.

Among the IGPL players on the course, Raghav Chugh and Syed Saqib Ahmed (both 70) were top contenders at five-under, tied for 12th place. Notable players who missed the cut included Olympian Udayan Mane, Sudhir Sharma, Shaurya Bhattacharya, Pukhraj Singh Gill, Karandeep Kochhar, Aryan Roopa Anand, Khalin Joshi, Shubham Jaglan, and Aman Raj.

Leader Madalena said, “That was really good, I think the best golf I have ever played. No mistakes, just a perfect round. I made some good putts, very happy. I struggled to make par on the 17th hole, but it was a good two putt from a very long distance before I missed from about two meter for eagle on the 18th. I like the golf course. I think my playing style has adapted to this course layout very well.”

“I will try to play the same over the weekend, but maybe, I will not be able to score this well. But I’m feeling good on the golf course, so I am hoping I can keep playing like this.”

Cheung finished tied for second place at the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open earlier this month and continued his strong form from that event. This week marks the fifth stop of the 2026 season on the IGPL Tour and the fifth event on the Asian Development Tour. Following this, the USD 500,000 IGPL Bharath Classic will take place at the Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. This event is part of the Asian Tour.

–IANS

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