David GonzalezAt the D+D REAL Czech Challenge, the leaderboard has all the tension of a spaghetti western shootout, and Albert Boneta and Danny List are both eyeing the prize with fingers twitching over the trigger.
With 54 holes in the books at Royal Beroun Golf Club, it’s the Spaniard and the Australian who share the spoils at 17 under par, setting up a tantalising finale in Czechia.
Boneta, 23, carded a gritty 67 in the third round, while List, 27, edged a shot better with a 66.
Both are now perched two clear at the top, with a chasing pack that includes familiar names and international hopefuls ready to pounce.
For Boneta, the round was less of a Sunday stroll and more of a tightrope walk through gale and drizzle.
“I played well, and the score doesn’t really reflect how good it was today,” said Boneta, who bounced back beautifully from a double bogey on the 12th.
“The conditions were tough during the last five holes, so I am happy with the round overall. There were a few mistakes but that’s part of the game.
“It’s important to respond after a bogey or a double and I did that well today; it breeds confidence and gets you on the right mindset.
“It’s really important that I perform well on the HotelPlanner Tour and a win this week will move me up spots, which could be important at the end of the season.”
His card was bookended with poise and resilience: three early birdies, a blip on the 12th, then birdies on 13, 15, and 16. And just like that, he’s back in business.
List, meanwhile, took a more measured route. Steady early gains were followed by fireworks on the back nine, with a dropped shot on 11 balanced by a trio of late birdies—including a bold flourish on the par-five 18th.
“It was a battle out there today and it was good to grind it out,” List said. “Today was more challenging than the first two days with there being a few tough pins and there was a really hard one on 12.
“It’s hard to adjust when the rain comes down like that and I need to shout out my caddie for keeping everything dry.
“I am looking forward to tomorrow, I am going to go for it and see how things shape out.”
If they blink, there’s danger lurking just two shots behind. The five-man group at 15-under includes Scotland’s David Law and Ryan Lumsden, Norway’s Baard Skogen, Italy’s Luca Cianchetti, and the man with perhaps the best name in the field—Victor Sidal Svendsen of Denmark.
Hot on their heels at 14 under is a melting pot of international flair: American Nick Carlson, Scottish talent Euan Walker, Italy’s Renato Paratore, and England’s Jack Floydd—each with a puncher’s chance heading into Sunday.
The final round of the D+D REAL Czech Challenge tees off at 8:39 am local time, with Boneta and List paired with Law in the final group at 10:40 am.
Expect fireworks, fist-pumps, and a few nervous glances as one of these men looks to seize a life-changing victory on the HotelPlanner Tour.
It’s Sunday theatre in Beroun—and you won’t want to miss it.
