Andy DevaneyAlbert Boneta may not yet be a household name, but at the D+D REAL Czech Challenge, the 23-year-old Spaniard is threatening to rewrite his own script—and possibly the leaderboard—by leading the dance into the weekend at Royal Beroun Golf Club.
Boneta, who scorched the course with an opening 62, backed it up with a composed 64 on Friday to reach 14 under par, nudging one stroke clear of Australia’s Danny List and Denmark’s Jonathan Gøth-Rasmussen. It’s the kind of form that makes you wonder if he’s been sneaking into the kitchen at night for an extra helping of Seve Ballesteros’ short game magic.
Starting on the first tee, Boneta wasted little time—picking up birdies at the second and third—before an errant tee shot on the par-five fifth landed him out of bounds and deep in the doghouse. The resulting double bogey could’ve derailed most players, but Boneta regrouped like a veteran.
Three straight birdies around the turn reminded everyone that Thursday’s fireworks weren’t a fluke. He added three more on the inward nine to reclaim the solo lead heading into Saturday.
“I am really happy,” said Boneta, sounding like a man who just found the last cold cerveza in the fridge. “I love this course and played well here last year, and things have been going my way.
“The back nine is meant to be a little easier and my front nine wasn’t the best today. It was going to be hard to top what I did during my first round.”
Ranked 43rd on the Road to Mallorca, Boneta isn’t just chasing a trophy—he’s playing for a future. A win at the D+D REAL Czech Challenge could catapult him into serious contention for promotion and, quite possibly, a bigger stage.
“Finishing in the top five spots is really important in order to get points,” he said, fully aware of the stakes in Czechia.
“I’ve been playing well but just haven’t been able to put four good rounds together. It’s something I need to do with not that many tournaments left to play.
“I am not going to change too much as what I am doing now seems to be working. I am just going to try and stay calm the whole round and let whatever happens, happen.”
Behind Boneta, the leaderboard is tighter than a pair of rented slacks. Scotland’s Ryan Lumsden sits solo fourth at 12 under, while a trio—including Italy’s Luca Cianchetti, England’s Jack Floydd, and Ireland’s Max Kennedy—are bunched one stroke further back.
Road to Mallorca leader Renato Paratore isn’t letting anyone out of his sights either. The Italian shares eighth place at ten under alongside the Netherlands’ Lars van Meijel and Scotland’s Euan Walker.
The third round of the D+D REAL Czech Challenge tees off Saturday at 7:23am local time, with Boneta set to go at high noon alongside his nearest chasers List and Gøth-Rasmussen.
If he can keep the putter hot and the driver on a leash, Boneta just might find himself sipping something sparkling by Sunday evening—preferably out of a trophy.
