Khalin Joshi achieved a significant victory at the Bengaluru Open, marking his first title on home turf.
It’s just something I’ve always dreamt of doing,” Joshi said after signing off with a 20-under-268 (61-68-69-70). “I have no words.
“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.”
I’ve been working on my mind a lot, so I’m happy that some results are finally showing up,” he said. Apart from that, I keep working on my swing, keep working on my game,” he said. “My mind usually keeps racing, so I think I make mental errors which causes bogeys and causes me to lose tournaments,” he said.
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. 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. But the bigger battle, he admits, has been with his mind. “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. 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.