Twist in the Final of the School at Infinitum Golf. The wind has appeared. It hasn’t been a gale, but enough to tighten the results, especially on the Hills course, a narrow and very technical course that exacts a high price for any mistake.
Any score under par today was very good news, and par was not bad at all. The hardest part was realising this change in trend to stay calm. Let’s not forget that we come from two days where big scores were made in abundance, and there was a danger of thinking that a par or minus one result was insufficient, with the consequent always negative anxiety. It was time to keep it on the ground, and those who didn’t ended up getting frustrated.
The Armada has come through this trickier day with high marks. Albert Boneta (-10) has led the way, figuratively and literally. He is the best of ours and one of the few not carrying a caddie this week. That’s why he’s leading the way. He could have chosen an electric one, but he preferred the manual. We’re not going to say it’s heroic, as at 22 years old, you can handle anything, but it’s really striking. Let’s not forget that it’s six days of competition, ninety holes, and the Hills is a really hilly course. “It’s not that big of a deal, after all, I come from University, where we often played 36 holes with the bag on our shoulders,” the Barcelona golfer explains simply and naturally to Ten Golf.
Speaking of not-so-distant university times, Albert spent five years on the Lobos team, New Mexico. Fate had it that today he played with the Frenchman Bastien Amat (-5). The Frenchman was not only his teammate on the team for four years but also shared a room with him. Today was like just another day in New Mexico.
Boneta delivered a very commendable scorecard of 69 strokes on the Hills today, placing himself in eighth place, one stroke ahead of the top 20 and five ahead of the cut. Things are going well, although there’s still half the journey to go. The key today was patience and the ability to stay positive. He played well, without getting into big trouble, but there was a stretch of holes, from 1 to 4 (he started on the 10th), where some good chances slipped away. To top it off, a bogey fell on the 5th. He didn’t allow himself to lament or lose focus.
He handled the blow wonderfully, continued with his game, and golf rewarded him with two good birdies on the 7th and 9th, the first with a great third shot between trees, hitting a ball that first went low and then rose to the clouds to stay very close to the hole. On the 9th, he hit a 5-iron second shot and left it four metres away. Now, the putt went in. Reward for the good attitude.
The Armada currently has three players in card positions. There are still three days left, but the situation is good. Besides Boneta, Borja Virto (-9) and Sebastián García Rodríguez (-9) are up there, sharing the twelfth position. They are just in the top 20 and have a three-stroke margin over tomorrow’s cut with the top 65 and ties. A good situation.
Gonzalo Fernández Castaño (-5) is just within that cut that will be established after the fourth round. Overcoming this hurdle is the first objective, although they are not really that far from the top 20. It’s just four strokes difference, and there are still 54 holes left. A world. These four Spaniards we’ve talked about will only play the Lakes course from now on.
In a more delicate position are Adri Arnaus (-3), Santi Tarrio (-3), Luis Masaveu (-1), and Joseba Torres (-1). The most positive thing is that none of them are out of it. Moreover, both Arnaus, who played over par today on the Hills, and Tarrio have it within reach, while Masaveu and Torres need to shoot a great round tomorrow. A five-under could be enough for them. It’s not easy, but by no means impossible. Today, two five-under pars were made on the Hills, the course that all three will play tomorrow. Adri is the only one of these four who will play the Lakes.
