Thailand’s Settee Prakongvech, playing just a group behind overnight leader Varun Chopra, shot a brilliant round of nine-under par 63 to catch up with the American on top of the leaderboard at the halfway stage of the US$125,000 Morocco Rising Stars Marrakech – Al Maaden Golf Resorts.

A former champion on the Asian Development Tour, Settee made a bogey on the 18th hole – his ninth – but eight birdies and an eagle were good enough to elevate him to 11-under aggregate at the Kyle Phillips-designed golf course and tied for lead with the rock-solid Chopra, who has managed to keep bogeys out of his card for a second straight day in a round of 69.

Japan’s Ryoto Furuya (63), Mexico’s Santiago De la Fuente (69), England’s Ben Jones (67), Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool (68) were tied third at 10-under par, while England’s Sam Broadhurst (68) and Sweden’s Filip Lundell (69) were tied seventh one shot further back.

The cut fell at three-under par 141 and 57 players, including two amateurs, made it to the weekend.

Settee, the promising 30-year-old from Chonburi, has won five times in professional circuits, and all his triumphs have come in his home country.  But he has now put himself in a great position going into what promises to be a hot weekend.

“I hit my irons really well today and my putting was very good. I made a few long putts, and I made an eagle, which always helps,” said Settee after his round.

“It was a perfectly played hole (the par-5 fourth). I hit a driver right down the middle, then cut a six-iron to the middle of the green and made the putt from 12 feet.”

Varun Chopra of the USA. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Chopra, who made so many birdies in his opening round of 64 on Thursday that he could not decide which was his favourite one, picked up only three shots on Friday.

The 24-year-old American, who also co-led the tournament at Samanah at the halfway stage last week, stayed patient after making just one regulation birdie on the par-5 16th and 13 pars after starting from the 10th tee. He was then rewarded with two birdies in his last four holes, including a holed bunker shot on the sixth and a very pleasing closing one on his final hole.

The tall Chopra, who was a very good basketball player in his school days, said: “It was a pretty slow day for me, but I stayed in it and managed to shoot a good score. I had a few birdie chances and did not get them. I made a lot of pars – 15 of them.

“So, I just tried to stay positive and told myself that I was doing all the right things.”

The champion this week will almost be assured to get one of two invitations up for grabs for the US$2 million International Series Morocco, which will be played from July 3-6. The two leading players from an aggregate money list from the two Morocco ADT events (not otherwise exempt) will earn the invitations. Philippines’ Aidric Chan, winner last week, leads that list with India’s Karandeep Kochhar in second place.