Amateur Albert Boneta is the absolute leader of the Alps de Las Castillas at Lerma Golf and tomorrow, on the final day to be played on the Burgos course, two amateurs will face each other: Boneta with 18 under par and Legendre with 17 under.
It will be a head-to-head battle between the two amateur players, as they hold a three-stroke lead over Austrian Maximilian Steinlechner, this year's Gooser Open winner, who is seeking another victory to climb the rankings and reach the Challenge Tour. It won't be easy for him, but there's nothing Boneta can't handle.
The Barcelona native has shown that effort and dedication can take you very far, and he has maintained his good level of play during the 18 holes in which he made seven birdies and one bogey, 66 strokes to put himself in sole command with 18 strokes under par.
“It’s been a long and tiring day,” Boneta, who teed off in the last group of the day, said, “but I played really well all day. I didn’t struggle or make any big mistakes, and I took advantage of every birdie opportunity I had, sinking some good putts. The key was the first hole, where I aimed for the green but it bounced hard and went into the bunker. I got it back onto the green and sank the putt for birdie to start the round well.”.
“Tomorrow will be the first time I’ve been leader in a professional tournament. It’s actually the third one I’ve played, and I’m very excited. Tomorrow is going to be a great day, and I hope to continue playing this well,” he added.
Nathan Legendre, a French amateur, was a bit more erratic today but held his own to keep his options open for the final round. He started with a birdie on the second hole, and two bogeys took him out of contention, but he went on a run of five birdies in six holes to regain his position, finishing with a 67 and a total of 17 under par.
“I started a bit nervous, and to be honest, I didn't play well at all in the first nine holes. I made a lot of mistakes, but I played much better in the last nine holes than yesterday. Tomorrow is going to be a close race, and I'll try to stay in the lead until the end. I was waiting for the European Championship, which is being played this week in Italy, to turn professional, and in the end, I'm lucky I wasn't selected. I wouldn't have been able to fight for the title,” he said.
Two boys who are an example for young people who are thinking of taking the step into professional golf and who demonstrate that their effort and dedication can lead an amateur player to rival the best professionals on the Alps Tour.
Today the cut-off in the classification was set at -4 and a total of 54 players passed it, including 16 Spaniards of whom three are amateurs: Albert Boneta AM (-18), Alfonso Aguilera (-9), Asier Aguirre (-8), David Borda (-8), Marcel Fonseca AM (-8), Mario Galiano (-7), Antonio Hortal (-7), Calvin John Greschner (-6), Joseba Torres AM (-6), Rubén Lafuente (-6), Álvaro Velasco (-5), Álvaro Hernández Cabezuela (-5), Manuel Morugan (-4), Pedro Oriol (-4), Alfonso Buendía (-4) and Daniel Berna (-4).
SOURCE: Tournament Organization
