On the final day of REDCREST 2021 Presented by Old Wisconsin Sausage, Dustin Connell was able to grab hold of the top spot on SCORETRACKER® and he didn’t look back. He won the title REDCREST 2021 Champion and the $300,000 paycheck on Lake Eufaula with 12 bass for 36 pounds, 15 ounces on Championship Friday. While Connell is celebrating a major win in his home state, he’s not the only one who had an unforgettable week.

Michael Neal put pressure on Connell on Championship Friday but was never able to take over the lead. He finished the event in second place, with 31-04 during the Championship Round. However, Neal’s journey throughout the week was an interesting one. He nearly missed the cut on Tuesday during Qualifying Round 2, but caught a bass at the last minute and bumped Fletcher Shryock below the Toro Cut Line. It was a similar story during Knockout Round 2 on Thursday. He caught two scorable bass in the final moments of the day to move above the Cut Line.

It surprised no one to see Jacob Wheeler make the Championship Round on Lake Eufaula. He won Stage One of the 2020 Bass Pro Tour on the same lake almost exactly one year ago. Wheeler stayed competitive throughout the Championship Round and ended up in third place with 25-06.