Chivas brothers tie Guthrie-Murphy for Land O’Lakes Team of the Year award
Two Florida teams share Eastern Division Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Team of the Year honors
MINNEAPOLIS – Completing an implausible rookie season, brothers Cody and Kyle Chivas of Belleair, Fla., tied the veteran redfish team of Scott Guthrie of Jacksonville, Fla., and Rick Murphy of Homestead, Fla., in winning the 2007 Land O’Lakes Eastern Division Team of the Year award on the Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.
Both teams accumulated 540 points over four qualifying events, and those points qualified the two teams for the no-entry-fee 2007 Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Championship in Orange Beach, Ala., Oct. 18-20.
The Chivas brothers started their Redfish Series careers off with a second-place effort in Clearwater, Fla. At the next event, held in Titusville, Fla., the teenage brothers finished fifth. They cooled off somewhat in the final two events of the Eastern Division season, placing 16th in Englewood, Fla., and 41st in Fernandina Beach, Fla.
“To tell you the truth, it’s been absolutely unbelievable,” said Kyle Chivas, a 17-year-old senior at Palm Harbor University High School in Palm Harbor, Fla. “A lot of the guys we’re fishing against have their own TV shows. I’m still in high school, and my 18-year-old brother goes to college at the University of Central Florida. This award is definitely the biggest accomplishment of our young careers. We’re super excited. Every time I watch the shows on FSN, it makes me smile.”
Although the two are new to the Redfish Series, they’ve been competing together in saltwater fishing tournaments for five years. They first chased king mackerel at Southern Kingfish Association events, then expanded to tarpon and are now on top of the redfish world. In approximately two months, they will have a shot at a six-figure payday in the FLW Redfish Series Championship.
“We have no idea what redfishing is like in Orange Beach, Ala.,” Kyle added. “We’re going to head up there early and put in a bunch of time prefishing.”
Guthrie-Murphy started off the 2007 season with a 14th-place finish in Clearwater, Fla., and then took ninth in Titusville, Fla. Their worst event of the season was a 36th-place finish in Englewood, Fla., but the two rallied for their second top-10 finish of the year by placing fifth in Fernandina Beach, Fla.
The Land O’Lakes Team of the Year title is determined by the total accumulated points from four regular-season events. One hundred fifty points are awarded for a win, 149 for second, 148 for third, and so on.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses of nearly $43 million through 241 events in 2007.
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