Naya Raipur, September 16, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Bengaluru golfer Khalin Joshi extended his lead to two shots after carding a bogey-free four-under 30 in the second round of the inaugural ₹1 crore Nava Raipur Open at the Fairway Golf & Lake Resort in Naya Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
The 34-year-old Joshi, who began the round with a one-shot lead, made four birdies to move to nine-under 59 at the halfway stage. His opening two rounds of 29 and 30 have been bogey-free.
Heavy rain rendered the course unsuitable for full 18-hole rounds, prompting the Tournament Committee to conduct all four rounds over the back nine.
Kolkata’s 20-year-old Aryav Shah shot a three-under 31, featuring four birdies and a bogey, to share second place at seven-under 61 with Subash Tamang of Nepal, Bengaluru’s Akshay Neranjen and Panchkula’s Raunil Kukar.
Tamang, 24, produced one of the lowest scores of the round with a bogey-free 29. He made five birdies to move firmly into contention.
Joshi began his round with a birdie after hitting a hybrid off the tee and following it with a precise approach.
“It was another solid day,” Joshi said. “I felt a little more tentative and less comfortable than yesterday, but continued to hit quality shots throughout the round. I’m pleased with the way I played.”
Joshi credited his consistency from tee to green for his two successive bogey-free rounds.
“My game has been solid from tee to green,” he said. “I’ve also been hitting my approaches close to the flags, so I haven’t faced too many long birdie putts.”
He has particularly capitalised on the 10th, 12th and 13th holes during both rounds.
“The 12th is drivable, while the 13th is a short par five where a good tee shot gives you an excellent birdie opportunity,” Joshi said.
“I’ve hit good tee shots on both holes and taken advantage. Hopefully, I can continue doing that over the final two rounds.”
Seven players are tied for sixth place at six-under 62. The group comprises Umed Kumar of Chandigarh (33-29), Kolkata’s Sunit Chowrasia (33-29), Gurugram’s Veer Ahlawat (32-30), Sri Lanka’s Chalitha Pushpika (30-32), Chandigarh’s Vasu Sehgal (31-31), Noida’s Bipin Mukhiya (30-32) and Faridabad’s Karan Pratap Singh (32-30).
Chowrasia earned promotion to the DP World PGTI after winning three consecutive NexGen events and finishing at the top of the rankings. Ahlawat, meanwhile, was the 2024 DP World PGTI Rankings champion.
The cut was set at three-under 65, with 56 players from the 132-player field advancing to the final two rounds.
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