Virtual Championship 2005: Bracket 1
Today’s matchup: Greg Hackney, Sam Newby, Larry Nixon, Bobby Lane
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. For the next two weeks or so, FLWOutdoors.com will be asking readers to vote each day on who they think will advance in each of the daily bracket challenges. After each day’s votes are tabulated, the virtual championship bracket will be immediately updated to reflect the readers’ choices.
Today’s featured four-man bracket matchup – Greg Hackney, Sam Newby, Larry Nixon and Bobby Lane
Greg Hackney – No. 1 seed: If you’ve been following the professional bass-fishing tour over the past few years, it’s clear that the “Hack Attack” needs no introduction. Arguably the hottest angler in the world right now, Hackney cemented his standing as a force to be reckoned with by capturing his first-ever FLW Tour Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year title this past weekend. With career earnings topping $378,000 and 22 top-10 finishes in FLW Outdoors events alone, including four top-10 FLW Tour appearances, Hackney has got to be considered one of the frontrunners to take home the $500,000 first-place prize at the July 13-16 FLW Tour Championship in Hot Springs, Ark.
Although the soft-spoken angler from Gonzales, La., wasn’t really a household name a few years ago, all that has changed recently. In fact, Hackney permanently etched his name in history in the history books in 2004 by finishing in second place in AOY races in BOTH the FLW and Bassmaster tours – an unprecedented feat that will be difficult for any angler to ever duplicate. Throw in a fourth-place finish at the most recent FLW Tour event on the Potomac River and it’s obvious that Hackney is peaking at just the right time. However, that’s where the good news ends for Hackney as he’s drawn one of the most difficult brackets in the entire tournament. If Hackney is lucky enough to escape his first-round matchup with surging Sam Newby, he’ll be “rewarded” by having to face either bass-fishing icon Larry Nixon (an Arkansas native no less) or Bobby Lane, the FLW Tour’s defacto rookie of the year.
Sam Newby – No. 48 seed: Heading into the final FLW Tour event of the regular season at the Potomac River, Newby was languishing in 75th place in the overall standings. Knowing full well he needed a monstrous showing at the Maryland event to even have a chance of qualifying for the championship with the other top 48 anglers in the year-end standings, Newby had no choice but to step up his performance big time. In the end, Newby did just that, capping off the final tour event of the year with a dramatic sixth-place finish – good enough to grab the last and final spot in the championship. However, Newby’s joy of qualifying for the championship will undoubtedly be tempered by the fact that he will have to face the reigning FLW Tour Angler of the Year in Greg Hackney. But to be sure, Newby is no pushover. With over $366,000 in career winnings and nine top-10 finishes in FLW Outdoors-related events, including an FLW Tour victory at Lake Champlain in 2002, Newby is one of the toughest competitors to grab the 48th seed in quite some time.
Larry Nixon – No. 24 seed: Nixon needs virtually no introduction. A legend on the Bassmaster tournament trail for decades, Nixon is clearly one of the all-time greats in the vaunted history of the sport. And with more than $573,000 in career winnings and eight top-10 finishes on the FLW Tour – including first place titles at Lake St. Clair in 2001 and Wheeler Lake in 2002 – Nixon has undoubtedly established himself as one of the premier bass-fishing icons in FLW Outdoors history as well. So, with a Bassmaster Classic title, two FLW Tour titles and 23 Classic appearances under his belt, what else is there to prove? How about an FLW Tour Championship? With a hometown residence in Bee Branch, Ark., Nixon is undoubtedly salivating over this year’s championship venue choice of Hot Springs, Ark. As such, Nixon has to be one of the early favorites. He knows the waterway like the back of his hand, he has years of fishing experience and he is used to fishing under immense pressure. In fact, had Nixon not drawn Hackney into his four-man bracket matchup, Nixon just might be the overall betting favorite to take home that $500,000 first-place prize. However, in order to even get to a proposed matchup with Hackney (or Newby), he will first have to get past Bobby Lane – one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, surprises on the FLW Tour this year.
Bobby Lane – No. 25 seed: Where did this kid come from? In his rookie season on the FLW Tour in 2005, Lane shot out of the gate like a rocket ship, nailing three top-10 appearances in the first three tournaments of the season. The unheard of feat quickly signaled that Lane was for real and wasn’t going to be pushed around by the cagey veterans. Since that three-tourney spurt, the resident of Lakeland, Fla., has cooled off a bit on the FLW Tour. However, with 14 top-10 finishes and over $100,000 in career earnings at FLW Outdoors-related events, it’s a sure bet that this kid will continue to be a major player on the FLW Tour for years to come. Now, can he get past Larry Nixon in his first-round matchup? That obviously remains to be seen. However, it’s probably a very good guess that Nixon will not be approaching this matchup lightly.