Kennedy elected
Virtual Championship 2006 voters point to Alabaman to win FLW Tour Championship in home state
It’s a familiar American concept: The electorate loves the Kennedys. But the vote-getter currently in question is not a Massachusetts politico; he’s an Alabama bass fisherman. Voters in Virtual Championship 2006 have given the nod to Auburn, Ala., pro Steve Kennedy to win the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship taking place this week in his home state.
After five weeks of polls and thousands of votes, fishing fans picked Kennedy to win from a pool of 48 FLW Tour pros, all of whom are actually competing in the head-to-head bracket-style championship taking place Aug. 2-5 on Logan Martin Lake near Birmingham, Ala. The final vote for one of 12 virtual finalists ended Wednesday at noon, and Kennedy eked out victory over pro bass-fishing legend Larry Nixon of Bee Branch, Ark., who received only about 2 percent fewer votes (click here for final results).
Though the virtual championship was for amusement only and has no bearing on the actual championship, it does offer insight into what hundreds of fans of pro bass fishing around the country are thinking when it comes to the bracket matchups that will unfold this week during the competition.
In the opening round of Virtual Championship 2006, Kennedy destroyed his bracket opponent – Boulder City, Nev., pro Tim Klinger – by a vote ratio of better than 5-to-1. Kennedy had a tougher time in the semifinal round, where voters pitted him against Grand Saline, Texas, pro Dean Rojas, but he managed to slip into the finals with 53 percent of the votes in that matchup.
In the end, Kennedy emerged from the virtual final-round pool of 12 anglers that included such notable pros as Nixon, 2004 FLW Tour Championship winner Luke Clausen of Spokane, Wash., perennial championship contender Scott Martin of Clewiston, Fla., and 2006 Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, S.C.
Perhaps voters had confidence in Kennedy’s zip code, as he was the only Virtual Championship 2006 finalist to hail from Alabama, home to Logan Martin Lake and host of this year’s championship. However, Kennedy certainly has earned his stripes on the FLW Tour every bit as much as he earned his berth into this year’s season-ending event.
Interestingly, Kennedy entered the 2005 FLW Tour Championship as the 36th seed, the same ranking he carries into the event this year. But last year he never made it past the opening round and ultimately finished in 34th place.
Kennedy has qualified for his second consecutive championship in five years of fishing on the FLW Tour. In order for Kennedy to fulfill the prediction of voters in Virtual Championship 2006, he’ll have to outfish Western pro Klinger, the No. 13 seed, over the next couple of days to advance closer to the actual crown. If he does, he’ll face off against either Rojas – the No. 12 seed – or Paducah, Ky., pro Terry Bolton – the No. 37 seed – depending on the outcome of that opening-round matchup. And if Kennedy does end up in a semifinal-round shootout with Bolton, it could be considered a rematch after this year’s Kentucky Lake tournament, where Kennedy edged out Bolton for the title.
Though Kennedy’s FLW Tour Championship mettle has yet to be shown, winning tour-level titles isn’t a problem for the Alabama angler. In fact, the Bluegrass State could be considered his home away from 
home: Kennedy claimed both of his FLW Tour wins on Kentucky Lake in the month of May – first in 2003 and then again this year. And the pro added a runner-up finish to his resume in January 2005 when the FLW Tour visited Florida’s Lake Okeechobee.
The pro is also a standout in the Stren Series, where he earned the Southeast Division points title in 2005 and has notched eight top-10 finishes, including two championship appearances. In the former part of Kennedy’s FLW Outdoors career, he racked up an amazing five wins and another nine top-10 finishes fishing as a boater in the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League. His last BFL top-10 was a third-place finish in the vaunted BFL All-American championship. So though Kennedy’s FLW Tour Championship potential is emerging, he also has a proven track record in championship-level competition.
One thing is certain in Kennedy’s immediate future: He’ll surpass the half-million-dollar mark in career earnings this week. Fishing in his 12th year of FLW Outdoors events, the longtime pro has earned over $485,000 and can earn no less than $15,000 simply for competing in the championship.
The big question is, will Kennedy double that number and take home the $500,000 winner’s check as fans have predicted? Stay logged on to FLWOutdoors.com through Saturday’s finals to find out.
Virtual Championship 2006 (click for complete details and poll results)
Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship 2006 (click for more information)
Final 12
Semifinals: Pirch vs. Chapman
Semifinals: Fukae vs. Clausen
Semifinals: Martin vs. Dudley
Semifinals: Bosley vs. Hibdon
Semifinals: Chapman vs. Strader
Semifinals: Moynagh vs. Blaukat
Semifinals: Yelas vs. Lefebre
Semifinals: Rojas vs. Kennedy
Semifinals: Morehead vs. Yamamoto
Semifinals: Nixon vs. Kilby
Semifinals: Herren vs. Wendlandt
Semifinals: Gagliardi vs. Knapp
Correia vs. Knapp
Wendlandt vs. Ferguson
Couch vs. Blaukat
Chapman vs. Harrison
Robertson vs. Dudley
Bosley vs. Shaw
Morgan vs. Morehead
Browne vs. Kilby
Chapman vs. Colson
Fukae vs. Jones
Hawkes vs. Yelas
Klinger vs. Kennedy
Rojas vs. Bolton
Le vs. Lefebre
Monsoor vs. Clausen
Pirch vs. Ehrler
Nixon vs. Cochran
Bolivar vs. Yamamoto
Bennett vs. Hibdon
Martin vs. Berry
Scheide vs. Strader
Moynagh vs. Stricker
Herren vs. Namiki
Gagliardi vs. Monroe