El Jadida, June 7 -- Chandigarh golfer Karandeep Kochhar stayed firmly in contention for a maiden Asian Tour title after battling difficult windy conditions to card a second-round 1-over 73 at the US$500,000 ( Rs.4.75 crore) AM Green IGPL Bharath Classic on Saturday.

Kochhar, who has twice finished runner-up on the Asian Tour and already boasts two top-five finishes this season, is tied for fifth place at 5-under-par after rounds of 66 and 73. He is joined in fifth by Indian teenager Kartik Singh, who followed his opening 70 with a steady 69 to remain in the title race heading into the weekend.

The leaderboard is jointly headed by Thailand's Settee Prakongvech and Runchanapong Youprayong at 9-under, four shots clear of Kochhar and the c...