Khalin Joshi Ends 44-Month Title Drought with Andhra Open Victory

The 33-year-old Bengaluru-based Khalin (68-68-70-69) emerged victorious by a comfortable four-stroke margin at nine-under 275. Joshi earned Rs 15 lakh and climbed from 55th to 12th on the 2026 PGTI Order of Merit with season earnings of Rs 18,13,875.

Chandigarh's Akshay Sharma (70-70-74-65), a two-time winner on the tour, posted a course-record final round of six-under 65 to surge from 13th overnight and finish runner-up at five-under 279, four shots behind the winner.

Notably, the par-5 seventh hole was adjusted to a 477-yard par-4 for the tournament, bringing the course par down to 71.

Joshi began the final round with a three-shot cushion at seven-under and closed with a two-under 69, mixing five birdies with three bogeys, to secure the title, his first in over 44 months, dating back to Coimbatore in August 2022.

His final round featured a mix of steady play and timely recoveries. An early bogey on the third was a setback, but he responded immediately with a birdie on the fourth after a quality approach from 80 yards to 10 feet. He added another birdie on the eighth from just over the green and produced a crucial up-and-down on the 12th to stay in control.

Despite a couple of bogeys on the back nine, Joshi regained momentum with a birdie on the 15th that steadied his round. Having led since round two, he handled the pressure well down the stretch to close out the win.

Reflecting on his round, Joshi said, "I was a bit nervous out there, especially on the back nine, but I stayed patient and trusted my process. I didn't get off to the start I wanted, but I stayed committed to my approach and managed to recover well. I'm proud of how I held my nerves and closed out the round. My ball-striking was strong throughout the week - I controlled it well in the wind, drove it consistently and hit a lot of greens. I wasn't in the best of putting form, but hitting those greens made the difference."

Runner-up Akshay Sharma's course record final round of 65 was highlighted by seven birdies and a bogey. Five of his birdies came on the back nine.

Saptak Talwar (70-74-68-68), the current DP World PGTI Rankings leader and winner of the Indorama Ventures Open Golf Championship last month, finished tied third at four-under 280 alongside Dubai-based Yash Majmudar (71-69-69-71).

Talwar earned Rs 5,49,800 to extend his lead atop the rankings as his season earnings moved to Rs 75,80,000. Majmudar, who employs an unconventional one-handed chipping technique, was playing his first event of the season after earning his tour card through Qualifying School in January.

Chandigarh's Ajeetesh Sandhu, who recently led Rajasthan Regals to victory at the inaugural edition of the DP World PGTI's '72 The League', finished fifth at three-under 281.

Angad Cheema, the last winner at EPGC in 2024, finished tied sixth at two-under 282 alongside Honey Baisoya, Rashid Khan and Manjot Singh.

The tour now moves to Hyderabad for the inaugural Rs 1 crore Boulders Classic at Boulder Hills Golf & Country Club from April 14-17.

- IANS