Khalin Joshi shot a six-under 65 to end the third round with a comfortable six-shot lead at the INR 1 crore J&K Open 2026 being played at the picturesque Royal Springs Golf Course in Srinagar.
Related: Khalin Joshi opens up seven-shot lead in Srinagar
The 33-year-old, who began the day seven shots clear, followed his first two rounds of 63 and 66 with another composed display to reach 19-under 194.
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Rashid Khan (68-68-64), also a former Asian Tour winner, fired the day’s best score of seven-under 64 to move into sole second place at 13-under 200, six shots behind Joshi.
Khalin’s second successive bogey-free round featured six birdies and extended his run without a dropped shot to 37 holes. The former Asian Tour winner has made just one bogey all week, which came on the par-four 17th during the opening round.
While his ball-striking was not as sharp early in the round, Khalin found a way to keep moving forward before rediscovering 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,” he 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.”
Khalin has now produced rounds of 63, 66 and 65, but he is not allowing his commanding position to change his approach heading into the final day.
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“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.”
Khalin has also enjoyed the distinctive surroundings at Royal Springs. He recalled seeing a bear run across the third fairway from about 100 yards away during the Pro-Am and joked that he hoped it would prove to be his good-luck charm.
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Ajeetesh Sandhu (65-72-65), another former Asian Tour winner, climbed to third place at 11-under 202 following a third-round 65.
Shubham Jaglan (70-68-66) and Angad Cheema (68-68-68) shared fourth place at nine-under 204.
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DP World PGTI Ranking leader Saptak Talwar (69-71-65), who spent the summer competing on the HotelPlanner Tour, shared T6th position with Kshitij Naveed Kaul (70-69-66) at eight-under 205.
