Sponsor teams form two divisions, tackle ‘Big O’ season opener
Kellogg’s – they’re great in Division I; BFGoodrich Tires burning rubber in Division II
Due to FLW Outdoors’ rapidly growing sponsorship family, unofficial team competition along the Wal-Mart FLW Tour has heated up in 2004. Teams on tour will now compete in a two-tiered system based on membership size. Seven teams with three or more anglers will compete in Division I and another seven teams with two or fewer anglers will compete in Division II.
Competition got off to a fiery start during the FLW Tour’s season opener last month at Florida’s Lake Okeechobee; all 14 teams will be vying for bragging rights again Feb. 11-14 during the second stop along the tour at Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin. Results from Okeechobee are detailed below:
Division I
Team Kellogg’s proved that its namesake represents more than the cornerstone of a nutritious breakfast; it also can provide the foundation of professional angling at its highest level.
Kellogg’s blew away the field of Division I sponsor teams at Okeechobee, surpassing its nearest competitor – Team Castrol – by an astonishing 41.4 points. Kellogg’s will enter the second tournament of the season this week with a commanding lead.
The notable victory was anchored by Team Kellogg’s pro Dave Lefebre of Union City, Pa., who earned a dazzling fifth-place finish. Lefebre posted a whopping two-day total of 37 pounds, 6 ounces of bass in the opening round of the tournament, following it up with a two-day total of 19-7 to land in the top five.
Division II
Team BFGoodrich Tires rolled past the pack at the FLW Tour’s Jan. 21-24 season opener at Florida’s Lake Okeechobee. BFGoodrich Tires boasted the best boaters among the seven Division II sponsor teams competing unofficially on the 2004 FLW Tour.
The pro anglers comprising Team BFGoodrich Tires brought in enough bass at the “Big O” to top all sponsor teams in Division II. However, the team will have to stay in high gear to stay ahead as it will enter the second contest of the season – the Feb. 11-14 tournament at Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin – with only a slim three-point lead over No. 2 Team Lawry’s.
Team BFGoodrich’s first-place finish was due in large part to an 18th-place performance from Clewiston native Scott Martin. Martin reeled in an impressive 31 pounds, 15 ounces of bass over the first two days of competition, missing the top-10 semifinal cutoff weight by less than 4 pounds.
Explanation of team scoring
Points in the 2004 sponsor-team race will be earned during the FLW Tour’s six qualifying events and monitored throughout the season. Standings are based on the average number of points earned by a team’s anglers as assigned in the FLW Tour’s Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year competition.
Each of the 14 sponsor teams competed in the most recent FLW Tour tournament at Lake Okeechobee near Clewiston, Fla., and results from that event have been tallied:
Division I (teams with three or more anglers)
1. Kellogg’s – 163.20
2. Castrol – 121.80
3. Tyson – 112.67
4. Land O’Lakes – 110.50
5. Fujifilm – 104.17
6. Snickers – 91.25
7. 7UP – 82.33
Division II (teams with two or fewer anglers)
1. BFGoodrich – 165.00
2. Lawry’s – 162.00
3. Pedigree – 158.50
4. Skippy – 137.00
5. Energizer – 122.00
6. Banana Boat – 107.00
7. Ozark Trail – 65.50
Other standout performances at the Big O among anglers on sponsored teams included Team Castrol’s David Dudley of Manteo, N.C., who netted an outstanding third-place finish, and Land O’Lakes pro Keith Williams of Conway, Ark., who came in 16th.