Bengaluru, September 25, 2026: Khalin Joshi completed a wire-to-wire victory at the INR 1 crore Bengaluru Open 2026 powered by IndianOil, closing with a two-under 70 at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA).
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 DP World 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 DP World PGTI Order of Merit, taking his season earnings to INR 67,34,225.
Gurugram’s Manu Gandas (69-68-64-72), the 2023 DP World 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 DP World 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.