Khalin Joshi receives his trophy and cheque from former J&K chief minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Nasir Aslam Wani, advisor to current CM Omar Abdullah and 72 The League commissioner Amrit Mathur in Srinagar on Friday. Image courtesy DP World PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Khalin Joshi completed a commanding nine-shot victory with a closing bogey-free round in the Rs 1 crore J&K Open at the picturesque Royal Springs Golf Course in Srinagar on Friday.
The 33-year-old(63-66-65-66) finished with a tournament total of 24 under par 260 to claim his eighth professional title and second victory of the season, the DP World PGTI said.
Joshi collected a winner’s cheque of Rs 15 lakh to climb five places to eighth in the DP World PGTI Rankings, taking his season’s earnings to Rs 34,85,575.
Rashid Khan (68-68-64-69) of Delhi, a two-time Asian Tour winner, finished runner-up at 15 under 269.
Panipat’s Shubham Jaglan (70-68-66-66), a University of South Florida graduate, produced his best result of the season by finishing third on 14 under 270.
Joshi began the final round with a six-shot cushion but admitted to feeling nervous after missing the opening fairway.
He settled down by the third hole and made successive birdies on the third and fourth to strengthen his grip on the tournament which he closed with a 5 under round.
Early jitters
“I was definitely nervous at the start, especially after missing the first fairway,” said Joshi. “I began to feel more comfortable by the third hole, and the birdies on the third and fourth put me at ease.”
With the rough making approach shots difficult throughout the week, Joshi’s plan was to keep the ball in play and rely on the putting touch that had carried him into the final round with a sizeable advantage.
“My game plan was to keep hitting fairways because I knew that would give me enough birdie opportunities,” the Bangalore golfer said.
“The key was to stay in the present, execute each shot as well as I could and keep thinking positively. Seeing my drives go straight all day was very satisfying.”
Joshi added five birdies without dropping a shot to extend his bogey-free run to 55 holes. His closing 66 was his third consecutive bogey-free round and capped a dominant week in which he made just one bogey across 72 holes.
The victory followed a four-shot triumph at the Andhra Open in April, where he finished at 9 under 275, and continued an impressive season on the domestic circuit.
Profitable journey
Joshi was also delighted to win during his fourth visit to Jammu and Kashmir, having previously travelled to Pahalgam and Jammu.
“I’m very happy with the way I played throughout the week and with the overall performance,” he said.
“Royal Springs is unbelievable and offers some of the best views we see all year. It is a stunning golf course, and I hope we can return more often.”
Joshi believes more tournaments, junior programmes and coaching camps could help the sport grow in the region and enhance Jammu and Kashmir’s reputation as a golf tourism destination.
“There is a lot of potential here. The course is in pristine condition and the weather is excellent,” he said. “More tournaments would attract stronger fields and more visitors. Hopefully, Royal Springs can host an international event in the future.”
Chandigarh’s Ajeetesh Sandhu (65-72-65-70), also a former Asian Tour winner, finished fourth at 12 under 272.
DP World PGTI Order of Merit leader Saptak Talwar (69-71-65-70), Asian Tour winner Rahil Gangjee (73-67-66-69) and Chandigarh’s Angad Cheema (68-68-68-71) shared fifth place on 9 under 275.
Talwar strengthened his position at the top of the rankings, taking his earnings for the year to Rs 82,53,034.
Also read: Bogey-free Khalin Joshi stays well out in front at J&K Open
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