Virtual Championship 2005: Bracket 6
Today’s matchup: Greg Pugh, Mickey Bruce, Takahiro Omori and Rob Kilby
With the 2005 FLW Tour Championship quickly approaching, FLWOutdoors.com once again will be hosting our own version of the “virtual championship” – a featured daily poll where readers can make their own picks and weigh in on exactly who they think will be crowned champion during the July 13-16 year-ending event in Hot Springs, Ark. In the final days before the championship, FLWOutdoors.com will be asking readers to vote each day on who they think will advance in each of the daily bracket challenges.
Polls are located in the lower right-hand corner of FLWOutdoors.com’s home page and in the same area of the FLW Tour page. After each day’s votes are tabulated, the virtual championship bracket will be immediately updated to reflect the readers’ choices. Full details of Virtual Championship 2005 are provided underneath that bracket layout.
Today’s featured four-man bracket matchup – Greg Pugh, Mickey Bruce, Takahiro Omori and Rob Kilby
Greg Pugh – No. 10 seed: Pro Greg Pugh of Cullman, Ala., started fishing the FLW Tour full time in 2002, after qualifying through the EverStart Series with three top-10s in 2001. Pugh’s real breakout season occurred in 2004 when he once again made three EverStart Series top-10s, won the EverStart Series Southeast Division points title and finished 35th in the FLW Tour standings, qualifying for the Forrest L. Wood Championship, where he finished 29th. With two top-10 FLW Tour finishes this season – at Lake Okeechobee and Lake Toho – Pugh is primed for a win.
Mickey Bruce – No. 39 seed: Making his fifth Forrest L. Wood Championship appearance, veteran pro Mickey Bruce of Buford, Ga., finished fifth at last year’s championship on Logan Martin – his second top-10 of the 2004 season. Bruce is having another solid season, anchored by a fourth-place finish on the Ouachita River. With seven FLW Tour top-10s over eight years and nearly $400,000 in career FLW Outdoors earnings, Bruce is always a threat to win on any body of water.
Takahiro Omori – No. 15 seed: With three finishes of 15 or better in the FLW Tour points standings over the last five years, along with winning the 2004 Bassmaster Classic, Takahiro Omori of Emory, Texas, is on fire. He has three FLW Tour top-10 tournament finishes, including a win at Lake Martin in 2001. Consistency has been the name of the game for Omori in 2005. Out of six regular-season events, Omori finished 35th or better four times. Like an athlete in any sport, anglers can be streaky, and “Tako” is fishing with confidence.
Rob Kilby – No. 34 seed: Before the 2005 FLW Tour season began, Rob Kilby of Hot Springs, Ark., already felt a lot of pressure to perform well this year. After all, how often does the Forrest L. Wood Championship visit the lake that you look at each day from your back porch? His knowledge of Lake Hamilton instantly makes Kilby a favorite to win the event; the opportunity to sleep in your own bed during the event and practice virtually every day of the year without traveling can be a major advantage. Since 1997, Kilby has earned five top-10 finishes, earned nearly $350,000 on the FLW Tour and only missed the championship twice.
Poll results
Virtual Championship 2005: Bracket 5
Virtual Championship 2005: Bracket 4
Virtual Championship 2005: Bracket 3
Virtual Championship 2005: Bracket 2
Virtual Championship 2005: Bracket 1