BENGALURU: For years, the Karnataka Golf Association had been a stage where Khalin Joshi had watched others have their moment. On Friday, finally, it was his turn.The 34-year-old Bengaluru golfer completed a wire-to-wire victory at the Bengaluru Open, closing with a two-under 70 to turn a three-shot overnight lead into a commanding five-stroke triumph. More than the 10th PGTI title of his career, it was the win Joshi had quietly longed for — a title on his home turf, in front of his people.“I have no words. It’s just something I’ve always dreamt of doing,” Joshi said after signing off with a 20-under-268 (61-68-69-70).The victory was his second in as many weeks, following last week’s Raipur Open, and his fourth of the season. It also capped a remarkable turnaround for a golfer who had not won on the PGTI since 2022.The numbers tell the story of a player who has found another gear in the second half of the season. Joshi’s latest victory was his third in about six starts, while his wins in Srinagar in Aug and Bengaluru this week both came wire-to-wire. He has now led from start to finish in three tournaments this season.“I’m having a dream run. I’ve been playing really well. I’ve been working on my mind a lot, so I’m happy that some results are finally showing up,” he said.But Joshi insists there has been no dramatic overhaul of his game. Instead, the biggest change has been in his mindset. “I’m just trying to be more present on the golf course. Apart from that, I keep working on my swing, keep working on my game,” he said.Joshi has also been working with Thailand-based English coach Richard Spence for the past one-and-a-half years, focusing on simple fundamentals — alignment, ball position, grip, posture and keeping his swing on plane.But the bigger battle, he admits, has been with his mind. “My mind usually keeps racing, so I think I make mental errors which causes bogeys and causes me to lose tournaments,” he said. “Now I think that my mind is getting a little stronger and I know deep down that if I’m doing my best, I’m hard to beat.”That belief was tested on Friday. Joshi admitted to feeling nervous at the start, but a 35-footer for birdie on the opening hole settled him. Two bogeys in the middle of the round could have opened the door for the chasing pack.Instead, Joshi stayed aggressive. “I knew that I had a comfortable lead. Just had to keep staying aggressive,” added Joshi, who had his girlfriend on the bag for the first time in a DP World PGTI event. She had previously caddied for him on the Asian Development Tour and Asian Tour.It was a mindset that has transformed a player who felt he had often failed to close tournaments despite possessing the game to win them.At KGA, there was no repeat of those old doubts. Joshi stayed in the moment, hit the shots he needed and walked away with the home title he had been chasing for years.“I’ve seen so many of the Bangalore boys, so many of the other players coming and just snatching the tournament from me like last minute,” he said. “It’s been difficult over the years. But I just knew that if I stayed in the present, stayed in the moment and hit good shots, I would have sealed the deal.”With the win, Joshi moved from seventh to second in the PGTI Order of Merit.Final scores: 268: Khalin Joshi (61, 68, 69, 70); 273: Manu Gandas (69, 68, 64, 72); 276: Veer Ahlawat (68, 69, 69, 70), Saptak Talwar (67, 70, 68, 71); 277: Manoj S (65, 70, 71, 71).
