File picture: Gaganjeet Bhullar in action. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Golf

Bhullar moves up to T-27 as Bubba Watson stays ahead in Morocco

Gaganjeet Bhullar dropped his only bogey of the day on the closing ninth hole but still climbed 20 places in the third round of the US$2 million International Series Morocco.

The four-time IGPL winner and 11-time Asian Tour champion carded a four-under 69 to add to earlier rounds of 70 and 74, moving to tied 27th from his overnight tied 47th position.

Starting from the 10th tee, Karandeep Kochhar signed for a two-under 71 but endured a difficult second nine. At four-under overall, he was tied 43rd. Ajeetesh Sandhu, meanwhile, slipped from tied 25th to tied 47th after an eventful round of 74.

At the top of the leaderboard, two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson retained a one-shot lead despite a pair of late bogeys. Watson shot a four-under 69 to reach 15-under, one clear of Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond (67) and Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho (68).

Seeking his first victory since the 2018 Travelers Championship on the PGA Tour, Watson looked in complete control at five-under through 12 holes before dropping shots on the 14th and 15th at the par-73 Red Course at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam. He recovered with a birdie on the drivable par-four 17th.

Janewattananond surged into contention with a birdie-eagle finish, while Kho closed with three consecutive pars.

Bhullar made a strong start from the back nine, birdieing the 10th and 15th holes before adding further gains on the third, fifth and eighth. A bogey on the ninth denied him an even bigger jump up the leaderboard.

Kochhar’s round featured five birdies, including three in succession from the seventh to the ninth on his opening nine. However, three bogeys on the inward half offset much of that progress, despite birdies on the seventh and eighth.

Sandhu’s roller-coaster round included six birdies, six pars and six holes of bogey or worse, including a double bogey.

Japan’s Takanori Konishi fired a bogey-free six-under 66 to move into a share of fourth place at 12-under alongside Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert (72).

France’s Julien Sale (68) and Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai (70) were tied sixth at 11-under.

Morocco’s Mehdi El Fakori, the only home player to make the cut, carded his second successive three-under 70 to climb to tied 33rd at five-under overall.

Published on Jun 14, 2026