Virtual Championship 2006: Semifinals
Semifinal round – Yelas vs. Lefebre
Virtual Championship 2006
Semifinal round – Yelas vs. Lefebre
You’ve chosen the semifinalists, and now the head-to-head matchups are getting even more interesting, reflecting both the public’s prognostication and will. Only the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship remains on the tour-level bass-fishing horizon before 2006 is etched forever in the history books. Will voters correctly forecast the FLW Tour champion? Learn more about qualifying pros while casting your daily ballot.
FLWOutdoors.com is once again hosting 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 is asking 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.
Revisit Virtual Championship 2006 daily and be a part of the voting body that could be the first to correctly anticipate the championship winner. 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: Jay Yelas (No. 35) vs. Dave Lefebre (No. 38)
Jay Yelas – No. 35 seed: Jay Yelas of Tyler, Texas, hasn’t been to an FLW Tour championship since 2002, and he has only been to two of them in his FLW Outdoors career. He faired well in both events with a solid 19th-place finish in 2002 and an impressive seventh-place finish in 1997. The 2006 season has not been bad for the legendary angler and former Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year, pushing his FLW Outdoors career earnings to more than $150,000. He has dominated many different tournament trails and earned a well-deserved reputation as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
Dave Lefebre – No. 38 seed: Dave Lefebre is the definition of consistency in his four years on the FLW Tour: ranked 25th in 2003, 14th in 2004, fourth in 2005 and 38th this year. He’s earned nearly $470,000 in FLW Outdoors events, including $55,000 in FLW Tour Championship cash alone, and he’s having a stellar year in the inaugural FLW Series, where he’s currently ranked 10th. But Lefebre is known for more than just his consistency; he’s also a top finisher. The Union City, Pa., native has three FLW Outdoors wins under his belt, including a tour win on Old Hickory Lake in 2004, and he’s registered an amazing 22 top-10 finishes overall. Under championship pressure on Logan Martin Lake in 2004, Lefebre made it to the final round and earned an impressive seventh-place finish, so he’s got to be considered a favorite when the championship returns to that Alabama fishery to round out 2006.
Virtual Championship 2006 (click for complete details and poll results)
Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship 2006 (click for more information)
Semifinals: Rojas vs. Kennedy
Semifinals: Morehead vs. Yamamoto
Semifinals: Nixon vs. Kilby
Semifinals: Herren vs. Wendlandt
Semifinals: Gagliardi vs. Knapp
Correia vs. Knapp
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