Raipur
Khalin Joshi completed a wire-to-wire victory at the ₹1 crore Bengaluru Open 2026, closing with a two-under 70 at the Karnataka Golf Association course on Friday.
The 34-year-old local golfer (61-68-69-70) started the final round with a three-shot advantage at his home course. He registered five birdies and three bogeys to finish at 20-under 268. The five-stroke triumph secured his 10th DP World PGTI title and his fourth victory of the season.
Joshi, an Asian Tour winner in 2018, took home ₹15 lakh for his second consecutive win following last week’s title at the Nava Raipur Open. He climbed from seventh to second place on the 2026 DP World PGTI Order of Merit, raising his season earnings to ₹67,34,225.
Gurugram’s Manu Gandas (69-68-64-72), the 2023 DP World PGTI Rankings champion, finished runner-up at 15-under 273 after recording an even-par 72 with one birdie and one bogey. Gandas earned ₹10 lakh and moved from 20th to 12th in the season standings, taking his earnings to ₹40,56,383.
Veer Ahlawat of Gurugram (68-69-69-70), the 2024 Rankings champion, shot a bogey-free two-under 70 with two birdies to share third place at 12-under 276 alongside Greater Noida’s Saptak Talwar (67-70-68-71).
Talwar shot a one-under 71 containing six birdies, two bogeys and a triple bogey. The Race to DP World India Championship leader earned ₹5,49,800, bringing his total season earnings to ₹96,82,284. Ahlawat held on to third spot in the standings with total earnings of ₹62,87,000.
Joshi attributed his performance to improved mental composure during pressure situations.
“I always knew I was a good player, but I had never closed out tournaments as comfortably as I have in recent months,” Joshi said. “My mind used to race, leading to mistakes and missed opportunities. I feel stronger now and know that when I play my best, I am difficult to beat.”
Joshi admitted feeling nervous before pursuing his first professional victory at his home course, despite leading throughout the week. A 35-foot birdie putt on the opening hole settled his nerves, but a three-putt bogey on the second hole tested his focus.
“The birdie on the first hole calmed my nerves, but the bogey on the second made me feel like I was starting over,” he said. “It was a roller-coaster day. I felt nervous, then confident, and then nervous again.”
Two more bogeys did not turn Joshi defensive. He kept attacking the pins to create birdie opportunities and protect his lead.
“I knew I had a comfortable cushion, but I needed to remain aggressive,” he said. “I maintained that approach on the back nine and hit solid shots down the stretch.”
Winning on the course where he learnt the game as a child made the victory personal.
“I have no words because winning here is something I always dreamed about,” Joshi said. “I have played well at KGA over the years but never managed to close out a tournament. Winning at home means a great deal to me.”
Joshi led for all eight rounds during his back-to-back wire-to-wire victories in Nava Raipur and Bengaluru. He previously secured a wire-to-wire win in Srinagar in August.
He will now turn his attention to the DP World India Championship at the Delhi Golf Club from 15 to 18 October. Joshi won his maiden international title at the Delhi venue in 2018.
“I have fond memories of Delhi Golf Club,” he said. “I am playing well and look forward to carrying this momentum there.”
Veer Ahlawat and Saptak Talwar will join Yuvraj Sandhu to represent India at the Asian Games in Japan from 30 September to 3 October at Kasugai Country Club’s East Course.
The Bengaluru Open marked the end of the race for the top 60 spots on the 2026 DP World PGTI Order of Merit. Players inside the top 60 retained their playing rights for the 2026–27 season.
