Virtual Championship 2006: Bracket 24
Opening round – Correia vs. Knapp
Virtual Championship 2006
Opening round – Bracket 24: Correia vs. Knapp
Another exciting season of tour-level pro bass fishing drew to a close in record-smashing fashion on Lake Champlain last month, leaving only the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship on the horizon before 2006 is etched forever in the history books. FLWOutdoors.com will once again host its own “virtual championship” – a featured daily poll where readers can make their own picks and weigh in on who they think will be crowned champion during the Aug. 2-5 year-ending event on Logan Martin Lake in Birmingham, Ala.
In the days leading up to the championship, FLWOutdoors.com will ask readers to vote on who they think will advance in each of the daily bracket challenges (polls are located on the right-hand side of the FLW Outdoors and FLW Tour home pages). After each day’s votes are tabulated, the virtual championship bracket will be immediately updated to reflect the readers’ choices.
Will fishing fans correctly forecast the winner of this year’s championship? Vote each day to support your favorite qualified angler and to learn more about the 48 pros who will actually compete on Logan Martin Lake for a top prize of $500,000.
Today’s featured bracket matchup: Danny Correia (No. 24) vs. Jason Knapp (No. 25)
Danny Correia – No. 24 seed: The affable Danny Correia is finally getting his due on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, having earned his second straight championship appearance after putting together his best season yet on the tour. Correia’s season high was 19th place, a standing he achieved twice – at Lake Murray in February and on Lake Champlain in June. He also took big-bass honors one day at Lake Murray, significant given the size of bass that nearly everybody was hauling in at that tournament. The Marlborough, Mass., resident may not yet have a top-10 finish on the FLW Tour, but he finished 18th at last year’s championship, proving he can withstand the high pressure surrounding the lucrative event. Interestingly, his career in BASS tourneys resulted in one win – and that victory came in Alabama. Correia’s Northern pedigree should not stand in the way of Southern success on Logan Martin Lake.
Jason Knapp – No. 25 seed: If it weren’t for California wunderkind Gabe Bolivar, Jason Knapp of Uniontown, Pa., would have walked away with this year’s Gain Rookie of the Year title. As it was, that honor belonged to another, but Knapp is hardly a rookie anyway. Before switching to the pro side this season, Knapp was FLW Tour co-angler royalty, putting together one victory, four top-10s and two championship appearances from the back of the boat. As a pro this season, he proved his worth by fishing with remarkable consistency, highlighted by a season-high finish of 18th place on Lake Okeechobee. The last time he fished Logan Martin Lake, back in 2004 at the FLW Tour Championship, he finished 14th. Imagine what he’ll be able to do now that he calls the shots as a pro.
Virtual Championship 2006 (click for complete details and poll results)
Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship 2006 (click for more information)
Wendlandt vs. Ferguson
Couch vs. Blaukat
Chapman vs. Harrison
Robertson vs. Dudley
Bosley vs. Shaw
Morgan vs. Morehead
Browne vs. Kilby
Chapman vs. Colson
Fukae vs. Jones
Hawkes vs. Yelas
Klinger vs. Kennedy
Rojas vs. Bolton
Le vs. Lefebre
Monsoor vs. Clausen
Pirch vs. Ehrler
Nixon vs. Cochran
Bolivar vs. Yamamoto
Bennett vs. Hibdon
Martin vs. Berry
Scheide vs. Strader
Moynagh vs. Stricker
Herren vs. Namiki
Gagliardi vs. Monroe