Virtual Championship 2005: Bracket 12
Today’s matchup: Brent Chapman, Randy Blaukat, George Cochran and Sandy Melvin
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 – Brent Chapman, Randy Blaukat, George Cochran and Sandy Melvin
Brent Chapman – No. 9 seed: With two championship appearances already behind him, including a third-place finish on Cross Lake in 2002, and six seasons on the FLW Tour earning him nearly $167,000 in tournament prize money, young Brent Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kan., is shaping up to be one of the great names in bass fishing. With three finishes in the top 11 this season, Chapman has bettered his 2005 slot in the points standings by nearly 20 places compared to last year.
Randy Blaukat – No. 40: Veteran FLW Tour angler Randy Blaukat will be making his seventh appearance at the Championship in his ninth season on the FLW Tour. Blaukat has more than $415,000 worth of FLW Outdoors tournament earnings to his credit. A couple of tough finishes on Lake Toho and the Ouachita River knocked Blaukat down in the points standings in the 2005 season, but he was able to earn a check in the four other tour events, including an 18th-place finish at the Potomac River, to maintain his 40th-place standing and ticket to the championship.
George Cochran – No. 16 seed: Fishing his home lake could make George Cochran of Hot Springs, Ark., a tough contender in his fifth FLW Tour Championship appearance. Cochran, who has earned nearly $200,000 of FLW Outdoors tournament winnings, posted his best season ever in 2005, secured by a top-10 finish on the Potomac River. He also had a respectable 14th-place finish during the Wal-Mart Open on nearby Beaver Lake – a deep, clear lake that could be a precursor to things to come during the championship.
Sandy Melvin – No. 33 seed: With a drastic jump in the points standings from 2004, Sandy Melvin of Boca Grande, Fla., will be vying for a win in his first-ever Forrest L. Wood Championship appearance in 2005. Having been a fierce competitor in the EverStart Series during his pro-fishing career, a strong finish at the championship could help Melvin break into the FLW Tour scene in a big way. Though he’s had a couple of tough tournaments this year, Melvin has earned a check in four of the six tour events, including an impressive 15th-place effort on the Ouachita River.
Poll results
Virtual Championship 2005: Bracket 11
Virtual Championship 2005: Bracket 10
Virtual Championship 2005: Bracket 9
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