Visakhapatnam, April 8 Khalin Joshi shot a second consecutive three-under 68 to take the lead with a total of six-under 136 after the second round of the Andhra Open golf tournament here on Wednesday.
The 33-year-old Bengaluru-based former Asian Tour winner holds a one-shot advantage over overnight leader Dhruv Sheoran, who carded one-under 70 to slip into second place at five-under 137.
S Chikkarangappa, a 14-time winner on the DP World PGTI, also returned a 70 to sit third at four-under 138.
On a windy day where conditions proved challenging, Khalin (68-68) remained steady from tee to green to gain the lead.
Khalin made four birdies and one bogey on the final hole.
"I had a pretty solid day. I hit the ball well from tee to green. It was windy, but overall, I'm happy with my ball-striking and I'm looking forward to the weekend," Khalin said.
"The biggest challenge was dealing with the changing wind. I feel I handled the conditions well," Khalin added.
The par-5 seventh has been adjusted to a 477-yard par-4, bringing the course par down to 71.
Dhruv Sheoran (67-70) looked set to extend his lead after opening with an eagle and building a three-shot cushion through 12 holes.
However, back-to-back bogeys on the 16th and 17th saw him slip back into second place.
Six players – Viraj Madappa, Sri Lanka's N Thangaraja, the Chandigarh trio of Brashwarpal Singh, Akshay Sharma, Manjot Singh, and Dubai-based Yash Majmudar – were tied fourth at two-under 140.
The cut fell at six-over 148, with 52 of 130 players advancing to the last two rounds.