Lunde rediscovers dream

Bill Lunde had given up on his dream of playing on the PGA Tour and had resigned himself to being a working stiff.

Of course, his idea of a working stiff was hobnobbing with rich people and trying to entice them to purchase sponsorships for the local PGA Tour event.

But after finding that hustling sponsorships for golf tournaments wasn't as much fun as playing in them, he decided to give himself one more shot to see if he could make the tour.

Lunde rediscovered his game, won on the Nationwide Tour and by finishing in the Nationwide's top 25, earned his PGA Tour card for 2009. He was fifth on the Nationwide money list with $341,446.

"Life is so unpredictable," said Lunde, who played at UNLV from 1993-98 and was a member of the Rebels' 1998 national championship squad. "To walk away completely from golf in 2005 and not enjoy any aspect of it and to come back three years later and get my card is a tremendous accomplishment. You never know how things are going to happen."

After deciding the struggle to play was no longer worth it, Lunde left golf's minor leagues and took a job working for the Las Vegas Founders, which at the time was still in charge of the local PGA Tour stop, the Frys.com Open. Lunde's job was to get businesses to buy sponsorship packages.

And while he didn't mind schmoozing with clients, he quickly realized it really wasn't what he wanted to do.

Late in 2006, he picked up his clubs and played the Butch Harmon Tour. That led to some Gateway and Nationwide events in 2007, and this year, Lunde was playing a full slate on the Nationwide Tour, golf's Triple-A level.

He also rediscovered his game.

"I was working with Mike Bennett about a year and a half ago on a couple of things and I kept working on them throughout the year," Lunde said. "I seemed to hit the ball more consistently and I was driving the ball a lot better."

It all came together in late July in Columbus, Ohio.

Lunde was playing in the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational and was up and down, shooting 67 the first day followed by a 72 then another 67. Despite his final-round 73, Lunde held off Dustin Bray to win by one stroke with a four-round total of 279 and picked up his first professional win.

The victory was worth $135,000. More important, it proved to Lunde that he not only belonged on the Nationwide Tour, he could have some success and perhaps realize his ultimate dream of making the PGA Tour.

"I think the key to my year was my consistency," said Lunde, who turns 33 Tuesday. "I had a better attitude. If things didn't go well, I didn't beat myself up over it."

The newfound maturity in his game allowed him to have his best year as a professional. In addition to his win in Ohio, Lunde had six top-10 finishes, 13 top-25 finishes and made the cut in 20 of the 27 events he entered.

Now, his dream is realized.

"It's a pretty cool feeling," Lunde said of finally reaching his goal. "I think even more, it's a special appreciation for everything I've been through and all the people who've supported me through my playing career."

Lunde played in 27 Nationwide events in 2008. He hopes to play that many times on the PGA Tour in '09. But he wants to make the most of his opportunity so he can stick around for a while.

"It's a much longer season," he said of the PGA Tour, which begins play in early January. "But I want to play as often as I can while pacing myself. I'll probably limit myself to four weeks in a row, then maybe take a week off.

"I'm looking forward to the opportunity to play against the best."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.