Bill Lunde eyes $1 million prize at season-ending Disney Classic
(Reuters) - A curiously frustrating year for American Bill Lunde could end on a cool $1 million high this week at the PGA Tour's season-ending Disney Classic at Lake Buena Vista in Florida.
Lunde leads the tour's unique 18-hole Kodak Challenge going into the final event and, should he remain on top when the tournament finishes on Sunday, he will earn the coveted $1 million bonus.
The 35-year-old heads the standings by two shots at 19 under par, with compatriots Cameron Tringale and Josh Teater tied for second place.
With Teater not competing at the Disney, Lunde can only be caught if Tringale eagles this week's featured hole.
"I will be glad when it's all over," a smiling Lunde told reporters on Tuesday while preparing for Thursday's opening round. "Hopefully Cameron doesn't hole out from the fairway and make eagle.
"It's been a long year grinding away on this deal. It started off as a kind of friendly rivalry ... but, as the year progressed, it became more a reality that you could actually win this thing. It was a big deal for me."
The Disney is the last of 30 events which have hosted the 2011 Kodak Challenge. The player posting the lowest score relative to par on a minimum of 18 of the 30 Challenge holes wins the $1 million prize.
This week's Challenge hole is the daunting, water-lined par-four 17th on the Magnolia Course where only two eagles have been recorded at the tournament since 1998.
The scarcity of eagles there certainly gives Lunde extra reason to be optimistic about his prospects this week as he prepares to end a strangely consistent 2011 campaign.
While he has made 20 cuts in 27 PGA Tour starts this season, he has recorded only three top-25 finishes without ever being in tournament contention.
"It's been kind of an odd year because I feel like I've played pretty well," Lunde, who won his only PGA Tour title at last year's Turning Stone Resort Championship, said. "I've made more cuts than I ever have this year.
"The consistency's been there, I just haven't put it together on the weekends. It would be nice to finish it off with a good tournament this week, top it off with the Kodak Challenge and be really happy with my year."
(Writing by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Frank Pingue)
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