SRINAGAR: Khalin Joshi strengthened his grip on the J&K Open 2026 with a composed six-under 65 in the third round on Thursday, opening up a six-shot lead over fellow former Asian Tour winner Rashid Khan at the Royal Springs Golf Course.
The Bengaluru golfer, who began the day seven shots ahead of the field, followed opening rounds of 63 and 66 with another bogey-free effort to move to 19-under 194 after 54 holes of the Rs 1 crore tournament.
Joshi’s nearest challenger, Delhi’s Rashid Khan, produced the best round of the day — a seven-under 64 — to move into sole second place at 13-under 200. Chandigarh’s Ajeetesh Sandhu carded a 65 to climb to third at 11-under 202.
Joshi’s latest round featured six birdies and extended his bogey-free streak to 37 holes. He has dropped only one shot in the tournament, on the par-four 17th during his opening round.
The 33-year-old did not have his best ball-striking on the front nine but stayed patient and continued to make progress. He made birdies despite missing fairways before finding his rhythm on the back nine.
“I didn’t hit the ball as well on the front nine as I had over the first two days, but making two birdies after missing the fairways was important,” Joshi said. “I found some momentum on the back nine, hit a few good shots and converted some good putts. Overall, I’m feeling confident and positive about my game.”
Despite his commanding advantage, Joshi said he would approach the final round in the same manner as the first three.
“Hitting fairways is the key here because it creates plenty of birdie opportunities,” he said. “My goal tomorrow will be to find as many fairways as possible. If I can do that, I believe the score will follow. There is just one round left, so I need to stay in the present and continue doing what I’ve done over the first three days.”
Joshi will play the final round alongside Rashid Khan and Ajeetesh Sandhu in the last group, scheduled to tee off from the first tee at 6:40 am on Friday. The trio brings a combined six Asian Tour titles into the final day.
Rashid, a two-time Asian Tour winner, produced a flawless 64 featuring seven birdies to move six shots behind Joshi. Sandhu, another former Asian Tour winner, carded a 65 to move up to third.
The battle behind the leading trio is also tightly poised. Panipat’s 21-year-old Shubham Jaglan and Chandigarh’s Angad Cheema share fourth place at nine-under 204, while DP World PGTI Ranking leader Saptak Talwar and Kshitij Naveed Kaul are tied sixth at eight-under 205.
Talwar, who spent the summer competing on the HotelPlanner Tour, matched Sandhu’s 65 on Thursday. Kaul signed for a 66.
Rahil Gangjee is eighth at seven-under 206, while Om Prakash Chouhan, Harman Sachdeva, Md Akbar Hossain, Stepan Danek and Gaurav Pratap Singh are tied ninth at six-under 207.
Among the other notable performances, Panchkula’s Brijesh Kumar produced the first hole-in-one of the tournament on Thursday. His ace came on the par-three 11th, which was shortened from its original par-four layout because of waterlogging caused by heavy rain before the tournament.
Brijesh’s 67 lifted him to tied 20th at three-under 210.
Joshi has also embraced the distinctive setting of Royal Springs during his week in Srinagar. During the Pro-Am, he recalled seeing a bear run across the third fairway from about 100 yards away, joking that it might prove to be his good-luck charm.
The fruit trees around the course have provided another memorable feature of the tournament.
“I’ve had mulberries and what I think were cherries or apricots near the third hole, as well as a few apples during the practice and opening rounds. It’s another part of what makes this place so special,” Joshi said.
With a six-shot cushion and just 18 holes remaining, Joshi enters Friday’s final round in the strongest possible position. A fourth consecutive sub-par round would put him firmly in sight of the J&K Open title, but Khan’s seven-under 64 has ensured that the leader cannot afford to become complacent.
The J&K Open 2026 is supported by title partner J&K Tourism and hosted at Royal Springs Golf Course. The tournament is principally backed by global smart logistics provider DP World, the Professional Golf Tour of India’s Umbrella Partner, along with Tour Partners Axis Bank, Amul, Amrutanjan Enerlyte, Campa, Air India Maharaja Club and Kalyani.
The tournament is part of the DP World Professional Golf Tour of India, the official governing and sanctioning body for men’s professional golf in India. DP World PGTI events offer Official World Golf Ranking points and the tour has a strategic alliance with the DP World Tour.
