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 to win by five shots at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA).
The 34-year-old Bengaluru golfer (61-68-69-70), who began the final round with a three-stroke advantage at his home course, made five birdies and three bogeys to finish at 20-under 268.
The victory was Joshi’s 10th on the DP World PGTI and his fourth of the season. It also gave him consecutive titles following his triumph at last week’s SECL presents Nava Raipur Open.
Joshi collected INR 15 lakh and 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 a final-round 72 to finish runner-up at 15-under 273.
Gandas earned INR 10 lakh and moved from 20th to 12th in the season standings, with earnings of INR 40,56,383.
Veer Ahlawat (68-69-69-70) made two birdies in a bogey-free 70 to share third place at 12-under 276 with Race to DP World India Championship leader Saptak Talwar (67-70-68-71).
Talwar’s closing 71 featured six birdies, two bogeys and a triple bogey. He earned INR 5,49,800 to increase his season earnings to INR 96,82,284. Ahlawat remained third in the standings with earnings of INR 62,87,000.
Joshi began the final round with understandable nerves as he chased his first professional victory at the course where he learnt the game. A 35-foot birdie putt on the opening hole helped settle him, although a three-putt bogey on the second provided an immediate test.
“The birdie on the first calmed my nerves, but the bogey on the second made it feel as though I was starting again,” Joshi said. “It was a roller-coaster day—I felt nervous, then confident and then nervous again.”
Two more bogeys followed, but Joshi resisted the temptation to become defensive and continued creating birdie opportunities.
“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.”
Joshi credited his recent run of success to greater mental strength and an improved ability to remain composed while 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,” he 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.”
Winning at KGA made his latest title especially significant.
“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 after every round in both Nava Raipur and Bengaluru, spending eight consecutive rounds at the top of the leaderboard. His victory at the J&K Open in Srinagar in August was also achieved wire-to-wire.
The 2018 Asian Tour winner will next turn his attention to the DP World India Championship, scheduled for October 15-18 at Delhi Golf Club—the venue where he claimed his maiden international title eight years ago.
“I have wonderful memories of Delhi Golf Club,” Joshi said. “I’m playing well and look forward to returning there and hopefully continuing this form.”
Ahlawat and Talwar will now join Yuvraj Sandhu in representing India at the Asian Games in Japan from September 30 to October 3 at Kasugai Country Club’s East Course.
The Bengaluru Open also concluded the race for the top 60 on the 2026 DP World PGTI Order of Merit. Players finishing inside the top 60 retained their playing rights for the 2026-27 season.
Photo – PGTI / Champion Khalin Joshi (2nd from left) receives his trophy and cheque from Mr. Siddharth Agarwal, Executive Director & State Head – IndianOil Corporation Ltd (extreme left), Col. C P Nanjappa, President, KGA (2nd from right) and Mr. Vikas Singh, Chief Business Officer, DP World PGTI (extreme right).
