The Wal-Mart FLW Tour has a longstanding tradition of visiting Beaver Lake near Rogers, Ark., for its annual Wal-Mart Open, but this year’s event marked a couple of firsts among sponsor teams in 2006. Earning their first wins of the season were Team BFGoodrich Tires in Division I and Team Pedigree in Division II.
When the tour came to town April 5-8, BFGoodrich Tires notched a 147-point finish that was good for a win and entrance into the top half of the Division I leaderboard in the yearly standings.
Pedigree powered its way to a 191-point win on Beaver Lake, and the strong finish made a world of difference for the team in the yearly standings. The team moved up an amazing four places from its prior position in the back of the pack.
Sponsor teams are divided into two divisions: Division I, comprising teams of three or more professional anglers, and Division II, comprising teams of fewer than three pros. Competition among sponsor teams competing on the FLW Tour is unofficial, though scores are based on the actual, official finishes earned by pros on sponsored teams.
Keep tabs on your favorite teams’ progress when they compete again May 10-13 on the FLW Tour during the fifth event of the season on Kentucky Lake. Look for sponsor-team results from Kentucky Lake in the days following the event. Results from Beaver Lake, as well as an explanation of team scoring, are detailed below:
Division I
Team BFGoodrich Tires rolled into its first win of the season at Beaver Lake, but the journey was no easy joyride. The members had to fend off a hard charge from Team Bounty, which grabbed the runner-up slot only four points off the top mark. Pro Chad Grigsby of Maple Grove, Minn., was the big breadwinner for BFGoodrich Tires, finishing 17th in the Wal-Mart Open. Pro Craig Powers of Rockwood, Tenn., was the cleanup man for Bounty, earning many points with his stellar third-place finish.
Following up a win at Pickwick Lake with another notable showing at Beaver Lake was Team A&W, less than four points behind Bounty in third place. It was Waynetown, Ind., pro Shad Schenck who earned the most points for A&W with a solid 12th-place finish.
In Division I standings news, things are tighter than ever at the top, with only 50 points separating the high five teams. Team Chevy (524.2 points total) has had a monopoly on the top of the overall standings since the season began – thanks to solid angling from pros like Dion Hibdon of Stover, Mo., who placed 24th at Beaver Lake – but Bounty (503) is coming ever closer. Rounding out the top five in a bottle neck are Team Kellogg’s (third with 481.6), Team Castrol (fourth, 479.8) and Team Folgers (fifth, 474.33).
Division II
Pedigree enjoyed a 10-point buffer over runner-up Team Weed Eater en route to its first event win of 2006. The one-two punch of pros Jeffrey Thomas (fourth place) of Broadway, N.C., and Greg Pugh (16th) of Cullman, Ala., was more than any other Division II team could sustain at Beaver Lake. Weed Eater pro Ray Scheide of Russellville, Ark., gave a good fight, however, coming in 20th.
Team Weed Eater’s consistency over the last few tournaments has finally brought it to the top of the Division II standings (with a total of 665 points). Team Tylenol Rapid Release (661) is not far behind in second, however, while former top dog Team Wet Ones (650) has slipped to third in the points race.
Explanation of team scoring
Points in the 2006 sponsor-team race will be earned during the FLW Tour’s six qualifying events and monitored throughout the season. Standings are based on the average number of points earned by a team’s anglers as assigned in the FLW Tour’s Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year competition.
Beaver Lake standings
Sponsor teams competed in the most recent FLW Tour tournament at Beaver Lake near Rogers, Ark., and results from that event have been tallied.
Division I (teams with three or more anglers)
1. BFGoodrich Tires – 147.00
2. Bounty – 143.00
3. A&W – 139.75
4. Kellogg’s – 127.60
5. Castrol – 124.00
6. Chevy – 118.80
7. Fujifilm – 117.0
8. Gain – 116.33
9. Folgers – 107.33
10. National Guard – 100.75
11. Tyson – 94.33
12. Snickers – 91.25
13. Berkley – 83.25
14. Land O’Lakes – 51.67
Division II (teams with fewer than three anglers)
1. Pedigree – 191.00
2. Weed Eater – 181.00
3. Tylenol Rapid Release – 173.00
4. Suave for Men – 162.00
5. Wal-Mart – 161.00
6. Banana Boat – 155.00
7. Pepcid – 151.00
8. Wet Ones – 135.00
9. Sirius Satellite Radio – 116
10. Lawry’s – 88.00
11. Imodium Advanced – 78.00
12. Ozark Trail – 64.00
12. Tylenol Severe Allergy – 64.00
14. Hamburger Helper – 52.00
Overall standings
Current overall standings for sponsor teams competing on the 2006 FLW Tour have been tallied:
Division I (teams with three or more anglers)
1. Chevy – 524.20
2. Bounty – 503.00
3. Kellogg’s – 481.60
4. Castrol – 479.80
5. Folgers – 474.33
6. BFGoodrich Tires – 458.67
7. Berkley – 433.50
8. National Guard – 418.25
9. Tyson – 410.67
10. Fujifilm – 385.80
11. Snickers – 377.25
12. A&W – 377.00
13. Gain – 324.33
14. Land O’Lakes – 259.33
Division II (teams with fewer than three anglers)
1. Weed Eater – 665.00
2. Tylenol Rapid Release – 661.00
3. Wet Ones – 650.00
4. Pepcid – 594.00
5. Suave for Men – 572.00
6. Banana Boat – 495.00
7. Hamburger Helper – 491.00
8. Sirius – 475.00
9. Pedigree – 474.00
10. Wal-Mart – 466.00
11. Tylenol Severe Allergy – 443.00
12. Ozark Trail – 431.50
13. Imodium Advanced – 381.00
14. Lawry’s – 374.00
Other notable finishes among pros on sponsor teams at Beaver Lake, who placed in the top 25 and have yet to be mentioned, include the following: Castrol pro Darrel Robertson of Jay, Okla., who currently leads the Angler of the Year race on the FLW Tour, turned in another amazing performance with a fifth-place finish; Team Gain pro Koby Kreiger of Okeechobee, Fla., who netted a top-shelf eighth-place finish; and Team Fujifilm pro Wesley Strader of Spring City, Tenn., who earned a solid 22nd-place finish.