Khalin Joshi returned a one-under 33 to retain a one-shot lead after the third round of the inaugural INR 1 crore SECL presents Nava Raipur Open 2026 at the Fairway Golf & Lake Resort in Naya Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
Related: Khalin Joshi continues to hold sway over Naya Raipur
The 34-year-old (29-30-33), who began the day with a two-stroke advantage, mixed two birdies with his first bogey of the week to reach 10-under 92 heading into the final round.
Joshi, a two-time winner on the DP World PGTI this season and currently 12th in the Race to DP World India Championship, has dropped only one shot through the opening 27 holes.
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Heavy rain left the course unsuitable for full 18-hole rounds, prompting the Tournament Committee to stage each of the tournament’s four rounds over the back nine.
Angad Cheema (34-29-30) emerged as Joshi’s closest challenger after producing a bogey-free four-under 30. The 36-year-old climbed from tied 13th to second at nine-under 93.
Seven players shared third place at eight-under 94, leaving eight golfers within two shots of the lead ahead of the final nine holes.
Delhi’s 18-year-old Pritish Singh Karayat (34-31-29) made the biggest move of the day, firing a bogey-free five-under 29 to surge from tied 36th into the seven-way tie for third.
Karayat was joined by Anshul Patel (32-31-31), Bangladesh’s Badal Hossain (33-30-31), Karan Pratap Singh (32-30-32), Veer Ahlawat (32-30-32), Umed Kumar (33-29-32) and Raunil Kukar (31-30-33).
Kukar slipped from a share of second place after posting a one-under 33.
Joshi admitted he was below his best but took satisfaction from retaining the lead on a difficult day.
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“I didn’t have my best game today,” Joshi said. “I wasn’t driving the ball particularly well, didn’t hit my approaches close enough and wasn’t able to hole many putts. I made a lot of two-putts, but at least I didn’t play myself out of the tournament. I’m still very much in contention and hopefully I can produce my best golf tomorrow.”
Play was briefly suspended because of rain and lightning, with Joshi recovering strongly after making his only bogey of the week on the 11th.
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“The rain and lightning caused a delay of around 15 to 20 minutes,” he said. “I made a bogey on the 11th after a poor tee shot, but the interruption seemed to restart my round. I responded with birdies on the 12th and 13th, which were the highlights of the day.”
Joshi expects an enjoyable final-round battle with Cheema, his friend and former teammate.
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“Angad and I know each other well and have been teammates in a couple of events,” Joshi said. “We have also played a lot of golf together, so there will be good camaraderie between us. It should be an exciting battle, and I’m looking forward to both of us giving it our best in the final round.”
