Overnight leader Khalin Joshi had plenty of support at his home KGA course as he extended his Bengaluru Open lead to six shots after 36 holes on Wednesday. Image courtesy DP World PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Khalin Joshi followed his career-low opening round by extending his lead to six shots at the halfway stage of the Rs 1 crore Bengaluru Open powered by IndianOil at his home Karnataka Golf Association course on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old (61-68), who began the day four strokes up on field after an 11 under par 61 in round one, made five birdies and a solitary bogey in his 4 under 68 to reach 15 under 129 on a cool and windy day, the DP World PGTI said.
Joshi remained bogey-free until the 16th hole of the day, the par-four seventh, where he dropped his only shot of the tournament thus far.
The three-time DP World PGTI winner this season arrived in Bangalore after claiming last week’s Nava Raipur Open.
Local teenager Manoj S. (65-70) retained second place on 9 under 135 with a 2 under 70 on Wednesday. The 18-year-old’s round featured five birdies, one bogey and a double.
Manu Gandas (69-68), rankings leader Saptak Talwar (67-70), Shaurya Bhattacharya (66-71) and Veer Ahlawat (68-69) were tied for third place on 7 under 137.
Gandas was the 2023 DP World PGTI Rankings champion, while Ahlawat topped the rankings in 2024.
Another local golfer, Mari Muthu R. (67-71), slipped from a share of fourth overnight to seventh at 6 under 138.
Well-placed
Joshi was satisfied with another assured performance and his commanding position at the halfway stage.
“It was another solid day,” Joshi said. “I’m pleased with the way I’ve played over the first two rounds and satisfied with where I am. Looking forward to the final two days.”
Joshi began his second round on the back nine with consecutive birdies and added three more before his only blemish on the seventh.
“I started strongly with birdies on my first two holes,” he said. “I would have liked to finish a little better, especially after making my first bogey of the week, but my game still feels good.”
Gusty winds and more demanding flag positions provided a different examination from the opening round, although Joshi felt the conditions allowed the players to appreciate KGA at its best.
“We were blessed with excellent weather, although the gusty wind and tougher flag positions made the course interesting,” he said.
“KGA is my home course, and it is wonderful for the entire field to experience such a great venue in these conditions.”
No change
With a six-shot cushion heading into the last two rounds, Joshi intends to retain the approach that carried him to a 15 under total after 36 holes.
“I want to continue finding fairways and greens, create birdie opportunities and keep applying pressure at the top of the leaderboard,” added Joshi, who has his Thai girlfriend caddying for him this week.
The halfway cut fell at 1 over 145, with 52 players from the field of 132 advancing to the final two rounds.
This is the final tournament before the top 60 on the 2026 DP World PGTI Order of Merit are confirmed. Players finishing within the cutoff at the end of this event retain their playing rights for the 2026-27 season.
The Bengaluru Open, returning for its fifth edition, is powered by IndianOil, and event partners Hilton Bengaluru Embassy GolfLinks and Himalayan.
Also read: Joshi fires career-low card to lead Bengaluru Open after day one
Discover more from Tee Time Tales
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.