Indian talent Khalin Joshi is on a roll. He fired a superb eight-under-par 64 to turn a six-shot deficit into a one-shot lead alongside Bangladeshi hero Siddikur Rahman following the penultimate round of the US$400,000 Panasonic Open India on Saturday.

 

 

 

 

The 26-year-old Joshi, who is bidding for a maiden Asian Tour title, produced a near-perfect card which included nine birdies and a lone bogey. His three-day total of a 13-under-par 203 would match the efforts of Siddikur, who signed for a battling 70, at the Delhi Golf Club.

 

 

 

Ajeetesh Sandhu of India remained in third place after carding a 70 while overnight joint-leader Suradit Yongcharoenchai of Thailand slipped two shots off the pace to fourth following a 72 in the event, which is celebrating its eighth successive editions on the Asian Tour this week.

 

 

 

 

 

Siddikur, a two-time Asian Tour winner, got off to a fast start with three straight birdies before dropping two bogeys on the fourth and ninth hole to turn in 35. He would regain a shot on the 11th hole to remain one shot ahead of the chasing pack.

 

 

Joshi has enjoyed a superb season thus far, capping two top-10 finishes to sit in 23rd place on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings. Having virtually secured his playing rights for the 2019 season, Joshi will take aim at securing a breakthrough victory on Sunday.

 

 

Sandhu, who traded three birdies against a bogey, remained hopeful of a successful redemption at the Panasonic Open India, where he came in joint-second last year. He is chasing for a second victory and first on home soil on the region’s premier Tour.

 

 

 

Did you know?

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Khalin Joshi has come close to winning his maiden title on several occasions. His best result on the Asian Tour was a runner-up finish at the 2017 TAKE Solutions Masters, held on his home course in Bengaluru.
• Joshi’s low round of a 64 was three shots better than the rest of the field on moving day at the Panasonic Open India. It was his personal best 18-hole score at the prestigious course and the lowest round of the tournament so far this week.
• The last time he shot a 64 was during the third round of the TAKE Solutions Masters two months ago. He was trailing by one heading into the final round where he would eventually finish in tied-sixth position.
• Joshi, who turned professional in 2013, enjoyed a tied-fifth place finish at the lucrative Maybank Championship in Malaysia earlier in February to virtually secure his Asian Tour card for the 2019 season.
• Joshi missed only three greens and four fairways in his solid round of 64. He needed only 26 putts around the greens.