Heritage Cup Field Set With Both New and Familiar Faces
TULSA, Okla. – With stages three and four complete, the 80 anglers on the Bass Pro Tour have collected their points with hopes that their efforts were enough to earn them a spot in this year’s Heritage Cup.
Only the top 30 anglers based on points collected from Stage Three and Four qualify for the Heritage Cup. The pros that have qualified are:
- Jacob Powroznik (Stage Three Champion)
- Edwin Evers
- Jared Lintner
- Jacob Wheeler
- Andy Morgan (Stage Four Champion)
- Todd Faircloth
- Jeff Sprague
- Brandon Palaniuk
- Mike Iaconelli
- Greg Hackney
- Alton Jones
- Tommy Biffle
- Aaron Martens
- Dustin Connell
- Bradley Roy
- Terry Scroggins
- Mark Rose
- Luke Clausen
- Stephen Browning
- Casey Ashley
- Michael Neal
- Ott DeFoe
- Keith Poche
- Dave Lefebre
- Takahiro Omori
- Fred Roumbanis
- Mark Daniels, Jr.
- Randall Tharp
- Fletcher Shryock
- David Walker
Alton Jones was able to clinch a spot in the top 30 thanks to an eighth-place finish in Stage Three and a 28th-place finish in Stage Four. Jones has now qualified for both the Challenge and Heritage Cup, and does not plan to waste these opportunities.
“Having been a part of Major League Fishing since its inception, I realize just how big of a deal these Cup events are,” Jones said. “These really are our ‘majors’ and I feel so thankful to be able to achieve this goal. I couldn’t be more excited.”
Happy to Get Back In Cup Competition
Todd Faircloth easily qualified for the Heritage Cup after an 18th-place finish in North Carolina and a third-place finish in Tennessee that gave him the sixth-most points in the field. While he didn’t have to worry about making the Heritage Cup this time around, that wasn’t the case for the Challenge Cup to start the season.
“It stung being only the second guy out of the top 30 for the first Cup qualification,” Faircloth said about his 32nd-place standing after Stages One and Two. “But it just makes this one that much sweeter. My goal, like everyone else, is to qualify for all of the Cups and hopefully and can qualify for the last two as well.”
New Anglers Ready for New Experience
Stage Three Champion Jacob Powroznik is new to the MLF format this year but was able to come into his own over these last two stages. The Virginia pro led all anglers in points to punch his Heritage Cup ticket. It will be Powroznik’s first Cup experience, and he is more than ready for the challenge that lies ahead.
“I get to turn a new page in a book that I’ve never read before,” Powroznik explained. “Anything that’s new and special like these Cup events is something to look forward to. We’ve been fishing our butts off to make it to these cups and to know that I qualified makes it that much better. Plus, the money is great in the cups and that’s what we do this for because it’s our job. I look forward to seeing how it is compared to the Bass Pro Tour.”
The anglers will battle over the course of Stage Five and Stage Six to crack the Top 30 point-earners for the right to compete in the Patriot Cup. The MLF Bass Pro Tour resumes on April 30 from Cullman, Alabama.