Tough battles for top team spots at Old Hickory
Kellogg’s back on top in Division I; ‘tis the season of Lawry’s in Division II
The fights for first place were fierce among sponsor teams in both divisions at the Wal-Mart FLW Tour’s Old Hickory Lake event. The March 10-13 event, held near Gallatin, Tenn., marked the third stop along the FLW Tour for the 2004 season. The unofficial competition among sponsor teams was as exciting as ever at Old Hickory; less than a point separated the first- and second-place teams in Division I, and a slim three-point buffer was the only thing between Division II’s top two teams after the dust settled.
Each of the 14 teams – comprising two divisions of seven with Division I having teams with three or more pros and Division II hosting teams with fewer than three pros – will soon be competing again March 31-April 3 at Arkansas’ Beaver Lake during the Wal-Mart Open. Results from Old Hickory Lake are detailed below.
Division I
After a disappointing fifth-place showing at the second tournament of the season, Team Kellogg’s regrouped to claim first place at Old Hickory. Kellogg’s took top honors at the season-opening event at Lake Okeechobee as well and has yet to vacate its stronghold at the top of the overall standings in Division I, having maintained the spot for three consecutive tournaments. Team Kellogg’s currently holds a comfortable 33-point lead over Team Castrol in the year-to-date standings, but with half a season yet to go, top honors in the division are still fair game.
It was Team Castrol nipping at the heels of Team Kellogg’s at Old Hickory as well, falling short of a first-place team finish for the tournament by only four-fifths of a point. Much of the credit for fending off Castrol goes to Team Kellogg’s pro Dave Lefebre of Erie, Pa., who was crowned winner of the Pro Division at Old Hickory after amassing an amazing four-day total of 57 1/2 pounds of bass. Lefebre earned 200 points for Team Kellogg’s, the same amount for himself in the 2004 Angler of the Year Race and an impressive $100,000 check for taking the tournament.
Division II
Team Lawry’s, the 2003 sponsor-team champion, grabbed first place at Old Hickory in Division II, outfishing its closest competition – Team Banana Boat – by a narrow three-point margin. The win allowed Lawry’s to climb two slots to second place in the overall standings for the year to date.
With Team Pedigree losing ground at Old Hickory, Team Skippy was able to take a commanding lead in the Division II year-to-date standings; second-place Lawry’s trails Skippy by 36 points while Pedigree and Banana Boat are currently tied for third place.
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 Old Hickory Lake near Gallatin, Tenn., and results from that event have been tallied:
Division I – Old Hickory results (teams with three or more anglers)
1. Kellogg’s – 151
2. Castrol – 150.20
3. Tyson – 136.67
4. Snickers – 120.33
5. Fujifilm – 100.67
6. 7UP – 94
7. Land O’Lakes – 89.75
Division II – Old Hickory results (teams with two or fewer anglers)
1. Lawry’s – 160
2. Banana Boat – 157
3. Skippy – 154
4. Ozark Trail – 139
5. Pedigree – 103.50
6. BFGoodrich Tires – 65
7. Energizer – 41
Other standout performances at Old Hickory among anglers on sponsored teams – besides Kellogg’s pro Dave Lefebre’s first-place finish – included Team Castrol member Darrel Robertson of Jay, Okla., who landed an excellent 12th-place finish and Team Snickers pro Pat Fisher of Dacula, Ga., who reeled in an impressive 17th-place finish.
Current overall standings for sponsor teams competing unofficially on the 2004 FLW Tour have been tallied:
Division I (teams with three or more anglers)
1. Kellogg’s – 444
2. Castrol – 411
3. Snickers – 390.58
4. Fujifilm – 344.17
5. 7UP – 337.67
6. Tyson – 320.67
7. Land O’Lakes – 301.25
Division II (teams with two or fewer anglers)
1. Skippy – 451
2. Lawry’s – 415
3. Banana Boat – 394
Pedigree – 394
5. BFGoodrich Tires – 373.50
6. Ozark Trail – 309.50
7. Energizer – 191