Virtual Championship 2005: Finals

Last chance to vote for one of 12 finalists in virtual championship; will fishing fans predict real winner?

Not just another four-day tournament anymore, the FLW Championship and its new bracket-style competition will change what it means to be the Wal-Mart FLW Tour champion.

July 13, 2005 • MLF • Archives

With the 2005 FLW Tour Championship upon us, FLWOutdoors.com is once again hosting our own version of the “virtual championship” – a featured daily poll where readers can make their own picks and weigh in on exactly who they think will be crowned champion during the July 13-16 year-ending event in Hot Springs, Ark. With the actual championship having kicked off Wednesday, it is down to the final 12 anglers as chosen by fishing fans through Virtual Championship 2005. This is the last chance to cast your ballot in the vote to determine who will wear the “virtual” crown. Will FLWOutdoors.com readers be able to predict the actual winner?

The final poll will remain open to voting until 3 p.m. CT July 14, just before the weigh-in of the second day of actual championship competition. An article detailing the winner of Virtual Championship 2005 will be posted at FLWOutdoors.com shortly after the polls have closed. Polls are located in the lower right-hand corner of FLWOutdoors.com’s home page and in the same area of the FLW Tour page. After the final votes are tabulated, the virtual championship bracket will be immediately updated to reflect the readers’ choices. Full details of Virtual Championship 2005 are provided underneath that bracket layout.

Today’s featured matchup – the 12 pro anglers as picked by FLWOutdoors.com visitors through Virtual Championship 2005 to fish for the big prize at the Forrest L. Wood Championship

Greg Hackney – No. 1 seed: If you’ve been following the professional bass-fishing tour over the past few years, it’s clear that the “Hack Attack” needs no introduction. Arguably the hottest angler in the world right now, Hackney cemented his standing as a force to be reckoned with by capturing his first-ever FLW Tour Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year title at the Potomac River. With career earnings topping $378,000 and 22 top-10 finishes in FLW Outdoors events alone, including four top-10 FLW Tour appearances, Hackney has got to be considered one of the frontrunners to take home the $500,000 first-place prize at the July 13-16 FLW Tour Championship in Hot Springs, Ark.

Toshinari Namiki – No. 2 seed: Pro Toshinari Namiki, a resident of Hachioji-City in Japan, put on an exhibition this season that few anglers have ever done. He narrowly missed the Angler of the Year title this year by a mere eight points. Namiki notched not only his first top-10 this season on Lake Okeechobee but three more on top of that, including a win at the third stop of the season on the Ouachita River. A meticulous and painstakingly precise angler, Namiki has already earned $171,000 on the tour this year and joined the select company of Denny Brauer, Clark Wendlandt, Rick Clunn, David Fritts and Jerry Williams as the only anglers to notch four top-10s in one season. If Namiki finishes in the top 10 at Lake Hamilton, he will join Denny Brauer as one of the only two professional anglers to ever record five top-10s in a single FLW Tour season.

Anthony Gagliardi – No. 3 seed: One of the tour’s top pros this season, Gagliardi cashed checks at every FLW tournament this season. With a string of top-60 finishes stretching from Lake Okeechobee to the Potomac River, he earned $56,000 in winnings on the FLW Tour alone in 2005 and vied for the Angler of the Year title right up until the final weekend. Gagliardi is no one-tour pony, however; he also finished the season ranked seventh in points in the EverStart Series Southeast Division – where he claimed his highest finish of the year, third place, at West Point Lake – and earned over $11,000 in winnings. The biggest check came for Gags when he won the FLW Tour event at Kentucky Lake last year and took home his first $100,000. Overall, the pro from Prosperity, S.C., has cleared more than $323,000 in FLW Outdoors earnings and, with such a versatile fishing style, could be on the cusp of a legendary tour career, especially if he can win the FLW Championship. He finished third at the big one last year, so he’s very capable of pulling it off. He’s rolling this season and should be considered one of the favorites at Lake Hamilton.

Dave Lefebre – No. 5 seed: Making his third consecutive championship in his third year on the FLW Tour, pro Dave Lefebre of Erie, Pa., has quickly become a “big stick” in tour-level competition. He’s bettered his year-end standings every year and could be knocking on the door of an Angler of the Year title in 2006. This season-ending finale may be Lefebre’s best chance yet to win a coveted championship trophy. He lost the 2004 BFL All-American on Lake Hamilton by a mere 2 ounces, and the pain of that loss could drive Lefebre to the winner’s spotlight on Saturday. While he didn’t have any top-10s this year on tour, he made the top-50 in five of the six qualifying events and earned more than $53,000. He can flip shallow cover with the best of the field and knows how to find the bass deep if the brush-pile bite gets hot. He finished seventh in the 2004 Forrest L. Wood Championship and 15th in the 2003 championship. If he maintains that consistent improvement this year, he just may find himself holding up the check for $500,000.

Gary Yamamoto – No. 7 seed: Veteran angler and owner of Yamamoto Custom Lures, Gary Yamamoto of Mineola, Texas, has been fishing the FLW Tour for four years and made a big leap in the points standings this season. Bolstered by an eighth-place finish on the Potomac River last month, Yamamoto moved up from 88th place in the standings in 2004 to his impressive seventh-place slot this year. Known for designing top-notch finesse lures, such as the Senko, and for being excellent at flipping, Yamamoto could be a tough contender in the clear waters and numerous boat docks of Lake Hamilton.

J.T. Kenney – No. 8 seed: A few weeks ago, it appeared that the native of Frostburg, Md., would be holding the 2005 FLW Tour Angler of the Year trophy as well as the top seed in the FLW Championship. However, Kenney – who had been a fishing machine all year on the tour – hit a snag at the final event of the year. Sitting atop the year-end standing heading into the FLW Tour event on the Potomac River, Kenney stumbled on his home waters last week, turning in a disappointing 114th-place finish. However, despite his struggles on the Potomac, Kenney has proven that he can fish with the very best. With more than $243,00 in career earnings and 16 top-10 finishes in FLW Outdoors-related events – including an FLW Tour win on Lake Okeechobee in the very first FLW tourney of his career in 2002 – Kenney remains an odds-on favorite to fish in the championship finals for a shot at $500,000.

Greg Pugh – No. 10 seed: Pro Greg Pugh of Cullman, Ala., started fishing the FLW Tour full time in 2002, after qualifying through the EverStart Series with three top-10s in 2001. Pugh’s real breakout season occurred in 2004 when he once again made three EverStart Series top-10s, won the EverStart Series Southeast Division points title and finished 35th in the FLW Tour standings, qualifying for the Forrest L. Wood Championship, where he finished 29th. With two top-10 FLW Tour finishes this season – at Lake Okeechobee and Lake Toho – Pugh is primed for a win.

George Cochran – No. 16 seed: Fishing his home lake could make George Cochran of Hot Springs, Ark., a tough contender in his fifth FLW Tour Championship appearance. Cochran, who has earned nearly $200,000 of FLW Outdoors tournament winnings, posted his best season ever in 2005, secured by a top-10 finish on the Potomac River. He also had a respectable 14th-place finish during the Wal-Mart Open on nearby Beaver Lake – a deep, clear lake that could be a precursor to things to come during the championship.

Alton Jones – No. 21 seed: Jones registered his fourth FLW top-10 this year in his sixth season on tour with a stellar third-place finish at Beaver Lake. With $205,000 in FLW career earnings already tucked under his belt, Jones will be making his fourth FLW Tour Championship appearance in 2005. The only two years he didn’t qualify for the championship were the two he didn’t fish the full slate of regular-season events. With nine Bassmaster Classic events on his resume as well, Jones has a long history of fishing in high-pressure, high-stakes situations, so look for the Waco, Texas, pro to do well on Lake Hamilton.

Kelly Jordon – No. 30 seed: Based on his win at the season opener on Lake Okeechobee in January and a 13th-place showing at the tour’s second stop, on Lake Toho, in February, 2005 appeared to be the year of Kelly Jordon. The Mineola, Texas, pro stumbled at the next two stops, however, finishing 164th and 173rd, respectively, on the Ouachita River and Beaver Lake, putting his championship aspirations in doubt. Then at tour stop No. 5, on Wheeler, he jumped back to the top of the leaderboard before settling for a third-place finish. The Potomac River was another solid performance for Jordon, and this 30th-place finish there earned him a trip to the Forrest L. Wood Championship as the No. 30 seed, which coincidentally is where he finished in his last championship appearance – 30th in 2003 on the James River. If he can keep the momentum going through the preliminary rounds, Jordon stands a good shot at winning the biggest payday of his career.

Steve Kennedy – No. 36 seed: Kennedy was an EverStart Series king in 2005, having earned the points title in the Southeast Division and ranking third in the Central Division. The Auburn, Ala., angler picked up his second FLW Tour top-10 this year at Lake Okeechobee and just missed the finals at the Ouachita River, where he placed 11th. But Kennedy is no stranger to the top 10, having reached it an astonishing 23 times – including six wins – and earning over $310,000 in the process since he began fishing in FLW Outdoors-related events a decade ago. Kennedy is coming off of a respectable 21st-place finish at the season-ending event on the Potomac River, so momentum is on his side. This year marks the EverStart stalwart’s debut in the FLW Tour Championship, where he will likely have his sights zeroed in on yet another crown.

Dean Rojas – No. 38 seed: Texas pro Rojas constitutes a formidable foe for any angler en route to a $500,000 payday. A well-known big-bass expert, Rojas typically fares well when he competes in all six FLW Tour events within a season. This year, though, was not his best, though a respectable 38th was still plenty high enough for Rojas to claim a third career championship berth. Rojas – a world-record holder for his 45-pound, 2-ounce stringer on Lake Toho a few years back – kicked off the season on a high note with a third-place finish on Lake Okeechobee, his fifth top-10 on the FLW Tour and his second on the Big O. He followed that up with a 25th-place effort on Toho before sliding a bit, but don’t count him out. Rojas may not appear to have the momentum right now, but the fierce competitor loves a challenge and will certainly bounce back.