PADUCAH, Ky. (May 9, 1998) –Dan Morehead of Paducah, Kentucky, has collected $100,000 by winning the fifth event of the 1998 Wal-Mart FLW Tour bass fishing series on Western Kentucky’s Kentucky Lake. The tournament, which features the world’s top professional bass anglers competing for a share of a $400,000 purse, is the fifth stop of seven in the $3.65 million series, the most lucrative in fishing history.
Morehead survived two earlier rounds of competition and 149 other anglers en route to the Wal-Mart FLW Tour victory. The professional angler landed 5 bass, weighing 17 pounds, 0 ounces, in the final round of competition to edge out the four other anglers competing in the final round of the professional division and clinch the title.
“I went back through my notes and went to the areas where I had caught some fish, and it paid off,” Morehead said. “I caught two fish in the last 15 minutes that put me over the top.”
Guido Hibdon of Gravois Mills, Missouri, took second place with a championship round catch of 5 bass weighing 14 pounds, 7 ounces, good for $40,000.
Rounding out the top five in the Wal-Mart FLW Tour’s professional division were: (3) Marty Stone, Kernersville, North Carolina, 5 fish, 9 pounds, 11 ounces, $20,000; (4) Marty Fourkiller, Cleveland, Oklahoma, 3 fish, 9 pounds, 2 ounces, $15,000; (5) Denny Brauer, Camdenton, Missouri, 2 fish, 4 pounds, 1 ounce, $10,000.
The win gives Morehead an automatic berth in the year-end Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship, presented by CITGO, September 16-19, 1998, in Moline, Illinois, where the winner will receive $250,000, the largest first place cash prize in sport fishing history.
Denny Brauer of Camdenton, Missouri, is leading in the Land O’Lakes Angler-of-the-Year points race after four tour events with 294 points. The winner of the angler-of-the-year competition will receive an Evinrude -powered Ranger bass boat and be featured on a special edition package of Wheaties, the first angler to appear on the cereal box in its 74 – year history. Ricky Clunn of Glorieta, New Mexico, and Randy Howell of Littleton, North, Carolina, are currently in second and third place, respectively.
Rick Cheatham of Herrin, Illinois, won the amateur division competition which concluded Friday with a catch totaling 11 pounds, 4 ounces. He collected $15,000 for the win.
Ray Beck of Beaumont, Texas, is leading the Spiderwire amateur Angler-of-the-Year race by weighing in the heaviest one-day catch of the season. Beck’s five bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 6 ounces, caught during the second tour event, is the heaviest single day amateur weight recorded on the tour thus far this year. The amateur angler-of-the-year on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour wins a fully-rigged Ranger bass boat, powered by an Evinrude outboard.
Beck is also leading in the Coca-Cola Big Bass year long contest. His bass weighing 11 pounds, caught during the second tour event on the Sam Rayburn Reservoir, is the largest fish recorded on the tour this season. Coca-Cola will award $5,000 to the angler landing the biggest bass during the 1998 tour.
The third year Wal-Mart FLW Tour is the most lucrative bass fishing series in the history of the sport. Highlights of the 1998 tour include: four $400,000 qualifying tournaments, each with a $100,000 first prize; this the $600,000 Wal-Mart Open featuring a $150,000 first place prize; and competitive angling’s richest tournament, the $1 million Forrest Wood Open, June 17-20, in Hartford, Connecticut.
The Wal-Mart FLW Tour is televised on ESPN and ESPN 2. The Kentucky Lake event will air on ESPN May 23, 1998, at 2:30 p.m. (E.S.T.)
Place Angler City, State Day 1& 2 Day 3 Day 4 Winnings
Total Total Total
1 DAN MOREHEAD PADUCAH, KY 37-13 11-8 17-0 $100000.00
2 GUIDO HIBDON GRAVOIS MILLS, MO 38-7 13-0 14-7 40000.00
3 MARTY STONE KERNERSVILLE, NC 37-9 11-2 9-11 20000.00
4 MARTY FOURKILLER CLEVELAND, OK 38-11 10-2 9-2 15000.00
5 DENNY BRAUER CAMDENTON, MO 40-7 11-2 4-1 10000.00
6 GERALD SWINDLE WARRIOR, AL 41-10 10-1 9000.00
7 TEDDY WYNN BENTON, KY 43-10 9-2 8000.00
8 RICKEY H CLUNN GLORIETA, NM 40-4 8-10 7000.00
9 PETE THLIVEROS JACKSONVILLE, FL 47-5 6-15 6000.00
10 CARL MAXFIELD SUMMERVILLE, SC 37-7 0-0 5000.00
11 DON JR HOGUE COLUMBIANA, AL 36-15 4000.00
12 CHARLIE INGRAM SANTA FE, TN 35-14 4000.00
13 SHAWN PENN BENTON, KY 35-13 4000.00
14 ANDY MORGAN DAYTON, TN 35-9 4000.00
15 CHUCK ECONOMOU PALM BAY, FL 34-3 4000.00
16 DION HIBDON GRAVOIS MILLS, MO 33-15 2800.00
17 JIM MOYNAGH HOPKINS, MN 33-4 2800.00
18 DAVY HITE PROSPERITY, SC 33-2 2800.00
19 JACK HAINS MANY, LA 33-1 2800.00
20 GARY KLEIN WEATHERFORD, TX 33-0 2800.00
21 RANDY HOWELL LITTLETON, NC 32-11 2000.00
22 LARRY NIXON BEE BRANCH, AR 32-6 2000.00
23 JAMES A PARKER FAYETTEVILLE, NC 31-13 2000.00
24 DWAYNE HORTON KNOXVILLE, TN 31-6 2000.00
25 BILLY SCHROEDER PADUCAH, KY 30-15 2000.00
26 KEN COOK MEERS, OK 30-12 1800.00
26 DAVID P DUDLEY LYNCHBURG, VA 30-12 1800.00
28 TERRY BOLTON PADUCAH, KY 30-9 1800.00
29 KEITH GREEN ARKADELPHIA, AR 30-2 1800.00
30 RANDALL R ROMIG BARTO, PA 30-1 1800.00
31 CHRIS DANIELS CLAYTON, NC 29-15 1800.00
32 WESLEY STRADER SPRING CITY, TN 29-7 1800.00
33 MARK DAVIS MOUNT IDA, AR 29-4 1800.00
34 RICKY DIEHL HUNTSVILLE, AL 29-1 1800.00
35 JIM BITTER FRUITLAND PARK, FL 29-0 1800.00
36 STEVE DANIEL CLEWISTON, FL 28-15 1700.00
37 WALTER OWENS ELIZABETHTOWN, KY 28-14 1700.00
38 JACK L WADE KNOXVILLE, TN 28-11 1700.00
39 JIMMY HOUSTON COOKSON, OK 28-10 1700.00
40 BERNIE SCHULTZ GAINESVILLE, FL 28-8 1700.00
41 MICKEY BRUCE BUFORD, GA 28-1 1700.00
42 ROLAND MARTIN CLEWISTON, FL 27-14 1700.00
43 MIKE WURM HOT SPRINGS, AR 27-13 1700.00
44 CRAIG DANIEL CULLMAN, AL 27-11 1700.00
45 MIKE SURMAN BOCA RATON, FL 27-8 1650.00
45 ALLEN ARMOUR LAWRENCEVILLE, GA 27-8 1650.00
47 SHAW GRIGSBY GAINESVILLE, FL 27-3 1600.00
48 RICK COUCH OCALA, FL 27-2 1600.00
49 CLARK WENDLANDT CEDAR PARK, TX 27-1 1600.00
50 MARK DUERR MILWAUKEE, WI 27-0 1600.00
51 DAVID GOSHORN BONNEAU, SC 26-11 1600.00
52 TONY COUCH BUCKHEAD, GA 26-6 1600.00
53 TOMMY ELLIS PARIS, TN 26-2 1600.00
54 MIKE TILLEY HIGH POINT, NC 25-13 1600.00
55 GERALD SAVAGE WINCHESTER, TN 25-10 1600.00
56 ROB KILBY HOT SPRINGS NP, AR 25-8 1500.00
57 ROBERT GREENWOOD RIDGEWAY, WI 25-6 1500.00
58 CHAD BRAUER CAMDENTON, MO 25-5 1500.00
59 JERRY RHYNE DENVER, NC 24-14 1500.00
60 TOM JR MANN BUFORD, GA 24-11 1500.00
61 DOUG GARRETT CABOT, AR 24-8 1500.00
61 TROY DAVIS HURRICANE MILLS, TN 24-8 1500.00
63 JOHN D CURRY NORCROSS, GA 24-3 1500.00
64 MIKE AUTEN BENTON, KY 24-2 1500.00
65 ALTON JONES WACO, TX 23-14 1500.00
66 ALVIN SHAW STATE ROAD, NC 23-11 1500.00
67 DANNY CORREIA MARLBORO, MA 23-5 1500.00
68 RICK LILLEGARD ATKINSON, NH 22-15 1500.00
69 JERRY WILLIAMS CONWAY, AR 22-14 1500.00
70 JOEL RICHARDSON KERNERSVILLE, NC 22-9 1500.00
71 DAVID GREGG FORT WORTH, TX 22-6 1500.00
72 JEFF FLETCHER GOLDEN, MO 22-1 1500.00
73 KIM STRICKER HOWELL, MI 21-15 1500.00
74 CHIC AYDELETTE THOMASVILLE, NC 21-14 1500.00
74 TOM BURNS CARBONDALE, IL 21-14 1500.00