Srinagar- Khalin Joshi tightened his grip on the J&K Open 2026, carding another flawless six-under 65 on Thursday to open up a commanding six-shot lead heading into the final round at the scenic Royal Springs Golf Course.
The 33-year-old Bengaluru golfer, who has barely put a foot wrong all week, moved to 19-under 194 after three rounds of 63, 66 and 65, putting himself firmly on course for the INR 1 crore title.
Former Asian Tour winner Rashid Khan of Delhi produced the round of the day with a scintillating seven-under 64, climbing to second place at 13-under 200, but still faces a mountain to climb on the final day.
Joshi’s march towards the title has been built on remarkable consistency. Thursday marked his second straight bogey-free round, extending his streak without a dropped shot to 37 holes. His lone blemish this week remains the bogey on the 17th during the opening round.
Despite admitting he wasn’t at his best early in the day, Joshi once again found a way to score.
“I didn’t strike the ball as well on the front nine, but making birdies after missing fairways kept the momentum going. The back nine was much better and I’m feeling confident heading into the final round,” he said.
The Bengaluru golfer insists he won’t change his strategy despite holding a sizeable advantage.
“Finding fairways is the key here. If I keep doing what I’ve done over the first three days, the scores will take care of themselves,” he added.
Joshi also spoke about the unique charm of Royal Springs, recalling how a bear sprinting across the third fairway during the Pro-Am has become his favourite tournament memory—and perhaps his lucky omen. He has also sampled the course’s fruit trees, enjoying mulberries, apples and what he believes were cherries or apricots.
While Joshi looks firmly in control, the battle behind him has intensified.
Ajeetesh Sandhu surged into third place at 11-under 202 after a superb 65, while Shubham Jaglan and Angad Cheema shared fourth at nine-under 204.
DP World PGTI Order of Merit leader Saptak Talwar, fresh from his stint on the HotelPlanner Tour, and Kshitij Naveed Kaul were tied sixth at eight-under 205.
The day also produced the tournament’s first moment of magic when Brijesh Kumar aced the par-three 11th—the hole temporarily converted from a par-four after heavy rain caused waterlogging before the event.
With just 18 holes remaining, only an extraordinary collapse appears capable of denying Joshi a memorable triumph in Srinagar as the J&K Open prepares for a thrilling finale.
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