Visakhapatnam, Apr 10: Khalin Joshi fired a two-under 69 to win the Rs 1 crore Andhra Open Golf Championship on Friday, sealing his seventh professional title in dominant fashion here on Friday.
The 33-year-old Bengaluru pro returned rounds of 68-68-70-69 to finish at nine-under 275, four shots clear of the field. The victory earned him Rs 15 lakh and propelled him sharply up the 2026 DP World PGTI Order of Merit.
Joshi climbed from 55th to 12th on the Order of Merit, taking his season earnings to Rs 18,13,875.
Chandigarh’s Akshay Sharma (70-70-74-65), a two-time Tour winner, fired a course-record six-under 65 in the final round to surge from overnight 13th to finish runner-up at five-under 279 at East Point Golf Club.
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. His previous victory came in Coimbatore in August 2022.
An early bogey on the third was a setback for Joshi, 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.
“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,” said Joshi after winning the title.
“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,” he added.
Runner-up Akshay’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, finished tied third at four-under 280 alongside Dubai-based Yash Majmudar (71-69-69-71).
Chandigarh’s Ajeetesh Sandhu finished fifth at three-under 281, while Angad Cheema finished tied sixth at two-under 282 alongside Honey Baisoya, Rashid Khan and Manjot Singh.
The tour now moves to Hyderabad for the Rs 1 crore Boulders Classic from April 14 to 17. (PTI)
