Kentucky Lake provided a backdrop of stark contrast between the two divisions of sponsor teams competing on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour. The race for a first-place finish at the Kentucky fishery was as close in Division I as it was disparate in Division II. After a fourth-place finish at Beaver Lake in April, Team Kellogg’s got back on track in May at Kentucky Lake, edging past Team Tyson by less than a point for first. But in Division II it was all Team Ozark Trail, which blew past its nearest rival by more than 60 points to grasp a tourney win and advance three slots in the overall sponsor-team standings for 2004.
The real story in the unofficial competition among sponsor teams, however, centers around the overall points standings. The 14 teams in both divisions have grappled their way through five of six regular-season events on the FLW Tour. With only one tournament left in 2004 to count toward team competition, the gravity of June’s tourney on Lake Champlain is considerable. Team Lawry’s took the top honor last year while Team Fujifilm was in command by 2002’s end (both champions were determined before the advent of double divisions). Team Kellogg’s has had a vise grip on the No. 1 position in Division I throughout the season. Can Kellogg’s hold on until the end? Will Team Castrol, which has held down the No. 2 slot after all but one tournament, make a last dash for first? Team Skippy has enjoyed a three-tournament stay at the top of the Division II heap, but its points-standings lead is marginal after Kentucky Lake. Several teams in each division are still viable contenders for the 2004 title, so the season’s conclusion will undoubtedly be an exciting one.
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 compete again June 23-26 at Lake Champlain near Plattsburgh, N.Y. Results from Kentucky Lake are detailed below.
Division I
Consistently decent finishes among Kellogg’s competitors helped pave the way to the team’s Kentucky Lake win, led by Clark Wendlandt’s 19th-place finish. But Team Tyson came within less than a point of the win, benefiting greatly from Todd Ary’s 16th-place finish.
Kellogg’s managed to stay ahead of the pack in the overall standings, a position it has yet to relinquish this year, but Team Castrol is within 28 points of pulling ahead.
Division II
Andy Morgan’s top-10 finish – he placed sixth – vaulted Team Ozark Trail into a blowout win at Kentucky Lake. Second-place BFGoodrich Tires would have trailed by even more than 60 points if not for team member Chad Grigsby’s respectable 29th-place finish in Kentucky.
Ozark Trail was the big mover in the overall points standings, climbing from sixth to third place, but Team Skippy is still in control of the division. But with only about 90 points separating the top dog from the fifth-place fishermen, the ultimate honor will be up for grabs among Division II anglers at Champlain.
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 May 12-15 in the most recent FLW Tour event at Kentucky Lake near Benton, Ky., and results from that tournament have been tallied:
Division I – Kentucky Lake results (teams with three or more anglers)
1. Kellogg’s – 145.40
2. Tyson – 144.67
3. Castrol – 119.80
4. Land O’Lakes – 116
5. 7UP – 100.67
6. Fujifilm – 87.33
7. Snickers – 86.33
Division II – Kentucky Lake results (teams with two or fewer anglers)
1. Ozark Trail – 181
2. BFGoodrich Tires – 120.50
3. Pedigree – 111
4. Banana Boat – 52
5. Energizer – 37
6. Lawry’s – 33
7. Skippy – 21
Other noteworthy performances at Kentucky Lake among anglers on sponsored teams – in addition to those already highlighted – included an outstanding third-place finish from Team Castrol’s David Dudley and a strong 18th-place finish from Team Snickers’ Chris Baumgardner.
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 – 702.40
2. Castrol – 674.60
3. Tyson – 589
4. Snickers – 567.58
5. Fujifilm – 560.67
6. 7UP – 512.67
7. Land O’Lakes – 478.50
Division II (teams with two or fewer anglers)
1. Skippy – 666
2. Banana Boat – 630
3. Ozark Trail – 609
4. BFGoodrich Tires – 586
5. Pedigree – 575.50
6. Lawry’s – 534
7. Energizer – 333