No more bubbles. No more wondering. And for 45 anglers, no more worrying about whether they’ll get an invitation to the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray presented by Walmart and hosted by Capital City/Lake Murray Country.
With the conclusion of the Walmart FLW Tour season at Kentucky Lake as well as the Angler of the Year race, all the Cup slots are now filled.
The top 35 pros from the AOY race get invited to the Cup; however, Andy Morgan (2013 Tour AOY), Randall Tharp (2013 Cup champion) and Dan Morehead (2013 Rayovac FLW Series Central Division AOY) double-qualified this season. So FLW extended three additional invitations to the 36th- through 38th-place pros. The lucky anglers who gained access via the extra slots are Alabama pro Barry Wilson, local favorite Anthony Gagliardi and Castrol pro Philip Jarabeck.
In addition to Tour qualifiers, Cup spots go to the 2013 Rayovac FLW Series AOYs in each of five divisions, the Walmart BFL All-American champ, the FLW College Fishing national champion and The Bass Federation national champion.
The first angler out of the Cup this season is Luke Clausen, who finished 39th in AOY points. Other noteworthy anglers who barely missed making the Cup are former Rookie of the Year front-runner Shane Lehew (40th), 2007 Cup champ Scott Suggs (42nd), 2009 Cup champ Greg Hackney (45th) and deep-water expert Troy Morrow (43rd).
This year's field includes five former Cup champions and six Angler of the Year winners. Gagliardi and Casey Ashley are the only in-state qualifiers, while Tennessee leads all states with eight qualifiers.
To see the full list of boater and co-angler qualifiers, with links to their angler profiles, click here.
Here's the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup pro roster.
2014 Walmart FLW Tour
Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C.
Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C.
Stetson Blaylock, Benton, Ark.
Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala.
Jason Christie, Park Hill, Okla.
Ramie Colson Jr., Cadiz, Ky.
Robbie Dodson, Harrison, Ark.
David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va.
Brent Ehrler, Redlands Calif.
Shinichi Fukae, Palestine, Texas
Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C.
Matt Greenblatt, Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Randy Haynes, Counce, Tenn.
Matt Herren, Ashville, Ala.
Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz.
Charlie Ingram, Centerville, Tenn.
Philip Jarabeck, Lynchburg, Va.
Steve Kennedy, Auburn, Ala.
Brad Knight, Wartburg, Tenn.
Jason Lambert, Pickwick Dam, Tenn.
Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif.
Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla.
Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis.
Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn.
Richard Peek, Centre, Ala.
Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark.
Shad Schenck, Waynetown, Ind.
Spencer Shuffield, Bismarck, Ark.
Matthew Stefan, Junction City, Wis.
Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn.
Austin Terry, San Angelo, Texas
Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C.
Jacob Wheeler, Indianapolis, Ind.
Barry Wilson, Birmingham, Ala.
Michael Wooley, Collierville, Tenn.
2013 Angler of the Year
Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn.
2013 Forrest Wood Cup Champion
Randall Tharp, Port Saint Joe, Fla.
2013 Rayovac FLW Series Division AOYs
Tony Davis, Williston, Fla.
Stephen Johnston, Hemphill, Texas
Jeff Michels, Lakehead, Calif.
Dan Morehead, Paducah, Ky.
Joseph Wood, Westport, Mass.
2014 Walmart Bass Fishing League All-American Champion
Marcus Sykora, Osage Beach, Mo.
2014 FLW College Fishing National Champion
Austin Felix, Eden Prairie, Minn.
2014 The Bass Federation National Champion
James Biggs, Richland Hills, Texas
For more information about the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray presented by Walmart and hosted by Capital City/Lake Murray Country, visit ForrestWoodCup.com