Khalin Joshi held his nerve on a rain-hit Thursday to retain a one-shot lead after the third round of the inaugural ₹1 crore Nava Raipur Open 2026 at the Fairway Golf & Lake Resort in Naya Raipur. The Bengaluru golfer carded a one-under 33 to reach 10-under 92 in aggregate, setting up a tense final-round showdown on the back nine.

How the Round Unfolded

Joshi, who began the day with a two-stroke cushion, mixed two birdies with his first bogey of the week — on the 11th hole after a poor tee shot — before recovering with back-to-back gains on the 12th and 13th. The 34-year-old has dropped just one shot across the opening 27 holes of the tournament, underlining a discipline that has carried him through a disrupted week.

Heavy rain and lightning forced a brief suspension of play on Thursday, and the course was deemed unsuitable for full 18-hole rounds. The Tournament Committee accordingly staged all four rounds on the back nine, compressing the contest into nine-hole battles that have heightened scoring intensity.

Cheema Steps Up as the Closest Challenger

Chandigarh's Angad Cheema, aged 36, produced the round's most composed card — a bogey-free four-under 30 — to climb from tied 13th to outright second at nine-under 93. Cheema is Joshi's closest rival heading into the final nine holes, a proximity made more intriguing by the fact the two are friends and former teammates on the PGTI circuit.

Karayat's Surge and the Seven-Way Logjam

Delhi's Pritish Singh Karayat, just 18 years old, delivered the day's most eye-catching performance. A bogey-free five-under 29 catapulted him from tied 36th to a share of third place at eight-under 94. Karayat joins six others in that seven-way tie: Ahmedabad's Anshul Patel (32-31-31), Bangladesh's Badal Hossain (33-30-31), Faridabad's Karan Pratap Singh (32-30-32), Gurugram's Veer Ahlawat (32-30-32), Chandigarh's Umed Kumar (33-29-32), and Panchkula's Raunil Kukar (31-30-33). Notably, eight golfers are within two shots of the lead — making this one of the tightest final-round positions on the PGTI this season.

What Joshi Said

The leader was candid about his below-par ball-striking but philosophical about the result. 'I didn't have my best game today; 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,' Joshi said.

On the rain delay, he added: 'The rain and lightning caused a delay of around 15 to 20 minutes. 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 — a two-time winner on the PGTI tour this season and currently placed 12th in the Race to the India Championship — is expected to relish the final-round battle against Cheema. 'Angad and I know each other well and have been teammates in a couple of events. 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,' he said.

What to Watch in the Final Round

With eight players packed within two shots and the course limited to the back nine, even minor momentum swings could reshuffle the leaderboard entirely. Karayat's age and aggression, Cheema's consistency, and Joshi's experience under pressure make the final nine holes a genuinely open contest. The winner will claim the title of the inaugural Nava Raipur Open — and, for Joshi, a third PGTI win this season.