Karandeep Kochhar delivered a statement round on one of the toughest layouts in the region to surge ahead in the Philippine Golf Championship presented by the Philippine Sports Commission.

On Saturday, February 7, the Indian carded a flawless seven-under-par 65 to break the course record on the famed East Course at Wack Wack Golf & Country Club. His bogey-free masterpiece lifted him to eight-under overall and into a two-shot lead heading into the final round of the Asian Tour season opener.

Kochhar, who regained his Asian Tour card after finishing fifth on last year’s Asian Development Tour Order of Merit, described the effort as one of the finest of his career.

“I think the way this course has been playing for the past two days and today, with a little bit of rain, which was there for maybe seven, eight holes, I would say I think it was probably one of my finest performances,” he said.

Course record under pressure

Breaking par at Wack Wack’s East Course is rarely routine, with its tight fairways and small, slick greens punishing the slightest mistake. Kochhar made it look clinical.

He birdied four of his first six holes, added back-to-back gains on Nos. 11 and 12, and capped his round with a decisive birdie on the iconic par-three 17th to eclipse the previous course record by one shot.

“My iron play has been very good this week,” said Kochhar. “I hit a good shot to whatever, like six, eight feet or whatever, and then just trusted the line, trusted the pace. Which is what I did pretty much the whole day, tried not to get ahead of myself.”

He credited smart club selection on the penultimate hole, opting for a controlled seven-iron in humid conditions that limited ball flight.

Chasing pack stays in range

South Africa’s Ian Snyman shot a 70 to share second at six-under with Australia’s Travis Smyth (71), Thailand’s Sarut Vongchaisit (71), and Korea’s Wooyoung Cho (71). Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert is alone in sixth after a 68, three off the lead.

Smyth, Sarut and Cho had started the day tied at the top with Korean Jeunghun Wang, who slipped back after a 73 and now trails by four.

“It was a bit bipolar today, honestly,” said Smyth after grinding out a one-under round despite erratic driving. “Anything under par is a good score, and today was one of those rounds where I’m just, I’m honestly surprised that I even managed to shoot under par.”

Snyman, still chasing a maiden Asian Tour title, leaned on consistency.

“Very steady, basically, what the scorecard showed us today,” he said. “I hit a lot of greens, hit a lot of fairways, when I was in trouble I managed to get up and down most of the time.”

Kochhar’s round could also prove lucrative beyond the leaderboard. The player with the lowest score each day receives a US$10,000 bonus sponsored by the club, adding further significance to his record-breaking 65.

Now back full time on the Asian Tour after a surprising card loss in 2024, Kochhar appears determined to make an immediate impact — and with one round to play, he stands on the brink of a breakthrough victory.