Virtual Championship 2005: Bracket 8
Today’s matchup: Gary Yamamoto, Andy Morgan, Ken Wick and John Murray
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 – Gary Yamamoto, Andy Morgan, Ken Wick and John Murray
Gary Yamamoto – No. 7 seed: Veteran angler and owner of Yamamoto Custom Lures, Gary Yamamoto of Mineola, Texas, has been fishing the FLW Tour for four years and made a big leap in the points standings this season. Bolstered by an eighth-place finish on the Potomac River last month, Yamamoto moved up from 88th place in the standings in 2004 to his impressive seventh-place slot this year. Known for designing top-notch finesse lures, such as the Senko, and for being excellent at flipping, Yamamoto could be a tough contender in the clear waters and numerous boat docks of Lake Hamilton.
Andy Morgan – No. 42 seed: With 10 years experience on the FLW Tour, Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn., will be making his seventh appearance at the championship, where he has finished as high as sixth place in 1996. Morgan has stayed consistent in the points standings over the last several seasons, posting a 39th-place finish last year and a 42nd this year. Morgan had two top-15 finishes in 2005, the first at Lake Okeechobee and the most recent on the Potomac River. He has two EverStart Series wins under his belt, but tour victories have eluded him thus far, despite seven top-10 finishes over his career.
Ken Wick – No. 18 seed: In a breakout year, his first ever on the FLW Tour, Ken Wick of Star, Idaho, finished in 18th place in the points standings. Seasoned on the clear, deep lakes in the EverStart Series Western Division, Wick could really make some waves on the FLW Tour scene with a championship win on Lake Hamilton. With an 11th-place finish during a tough tournament on Lake Toho this year, Wick has earned more than $30,000 worth of prize money during his short career of fishing FLW Outdoors events.
John Murray – No. 31 seed: After taking quite a bit of time off after fishing the FLW Tour in 1997 to concentrate on fishing two BFL divisions and make three All-American appearances, John Murray of Phoenix returned to the tour scene in 2004 and posted a 71st-place finish in the standings. He’s had a good season this year as well, having earned a check in three of six FLW Tour events. Murray will also be appearing at his first-ever Forrest L. Wood Championship, and with the chance to add $500,000 to his total earnings, now more than $60,000, he’s bound to be pumped.
Poll results
Virtual Championship 2005: Bracket 8
Virtual Championship 2005: Bracket 7
Virtual Championship 2005: Bracket 6
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
Welcome to the 2005 Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship