Bengaluru, Sep 25 (IANS) Khalin Joshi completed a wire-to-wire victory at the INR 1 crore Bengaluru Open 2026, closing with a two-under-par 70 at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) in Bengaluru on Friday.
The 34-year-old Bengaluru golfer (61-68-69-70), who began the final round with a three-shot advantage at his home course, made five birdies and three bogeys to finish at 20-under 268. His five-stroke victory secured his 10th PGTI title and fourth of the season.
Joshi, an Asian Tour winner in 2018, collected INR 15 lakh after recording his second consecutive triumph following last week’s SECL presents Nava Raipur Open. He climbed from seventh to second on the 2026 PGTI Order of Merit, taking his season earnings to INR 67,34,225.
Gurugram’s Manu Gandas (69-68-64-72), the 2023 PGTI Rankings champion, made one birdie and one bogey in an even-par 72 to finish runner-up at 15-under 273. He earned INR 10 lakh and rose from 20th to 12th in the season standings, with earnings of INR 40,56,383.
Gurugram’s Veer Ahlawat (68-69-69-70), the 2024 Rankings champion, made two birdies in a bogey-free 70 to share third place at 12-under 276 with Greater Noida’s Saptak Talwar (67-70-68-71).
Talwar’s one-under 71 featured six birdies, two bogeys and a triple bogey. The Race to India Championship leader earned INR 5,49,800, taking his season earnings to INR 96,82,284. Ahlawat remained third in the standings with earnings of INR 62,87,000.
Joshi attributed his recent success to greater mental strength and an improved ability to remain composed in contention. “I’ve always considered myself a good player, but I had never closed tournaments as comfortably as I have over the past few months,” Joshi said. “My mind used to race, which led to mental errors and missed opportunities. I feel stronger now and know that when I’m playing my best, I’m difficult to beat.”
Despite leading throughout the week, Joshi admitted to feeling nervous before pursuing his first professional victory at his home course. A 35-foot birdie putt on the opening hole settled him, but a three-putt bogey on the second immediately tested his composure. “The birdie on the first calmed my nerves, but the bogey on the second made it feel as though I was starting again,” he said. “It was a roller-coaster day—I felt nervous, then confident and then nervous again.”
Two further bogeys did not persuade Joshi to become defensive. He continued attacking and creating birdie opportunities as he protected his lead. “I knew I had a comfortable advantage, but I had to remain aggressive,” he said. “I maintained that approach on the back nine and hit some good shots coming down the stretch.”
Winning at the course where he began playing as a child made the title especially meaningful. “I have no words because winning here is something I’ve always dreamed about,” Joshi said. “I’ve played good golf at KGA over the years but never managed to close out a tournament. To finally win at home means a great deal.”
Joshi led for all eight rounds across his consecutive wire-to-wire victories in Nava Raipur and Bengaluru. Khalin will next turn his attention to the India Championship scheduled to be held at the Delhi Golf Club from October 15 to 18. Incidentally, he claimed his maiden international title at the Delhi Golf Club in 2018. “I have wonderful memories of Delhi Golf Club,” he said. “I’m playing well and look forward to returning there and hopefully continuing this form.”
Khalin’s win at Srinagar in August also happened to be a wire-to-wire triumph. Veer Ahlawat and Saptak Talwar are now all set to represent India alongside Yuvraj Sandhu at the Asian Games in Japan from September 30 to October 3 at Kasugai Country Club’s East Course.
The Bengaluru Open concluded the race for the top 60 on the 2026 PGTI Order of Merit. Those finishing inside the top 60 retained their playing rights for the 2026–27 season.
–IANS
bsk/