Virtual Championship 2006: Bracket 1
Voters to predict winner of Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship one matchup at a time
Another exciting season of tour-level pro bass fishing drew to a close in record-smashing fashion last week on Lake Champlain, leaving only the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship on the horizon before 2006 is etched forever in the history books. FLWOutdoors.com will once again host its own “virtual championship” – a featured daily poll where readers can make their own picks and weigh in on who they think will be crowned champion during the Aug. 2-5 year-ending event on Logan Martin Lake in Birmingham, Ala.
In the days leading up to the championship, FLWOutdoors.com will ask readers to vote on who they think will advance in each of the daily bracket challenges (polls are located on the right-hand side of the FLW Outdoors and FLW Tour home pages). After each day’s votes are tabulated, the virtual championship bracket will be immediately updated to reflect the readers’ choices.
Will fishing fans correctly forecast the winner of this year’s championship? Vote each day to support your favorite qualified angler and to learn more about the 48 pros who will actually compete on Logan Martin Lake for a top prize of $500,000.
Today’s featured bracket matchup: Anthony Gagliardi (No. 1 seed) vs. Ishama Monroe (No. 48)
Anthony Gagliardi – No: 1 seed: Hailing from Prosperity, S.C., Gagliardi has had a banner year to say the least, capturing the 2006 FLW Tour event at Lake Murray, winning the coveted 2006 Land O’ Lakes FLW Tour Angler of the Year award and winning more than $250,000 on the FLW Tour this year alone. One of the most consistent anglers on the circuit, Gagliardi has continued his long climb up the year-end standings each and every year. In 2000, Gagliardi finished the year in 112th place. The next season, he finished in 74th, in 2001 he finished 51st, then 45th (2003), 31st (2004), third (2005) and then first in 2006. Correspondingly, Gagliardi’s reputation and bank account has grown in direct proportion to his success. In total, Gagliardi has netted $631,000 in career earnings in FLW Outdoors events, including eight top-10 finishes (including five on the FLW Tour) as well as two FLW tournament titles – Murray and a win at the 2004 FLW Tour event on Kentucky Lake. Gagliardi, who started fishing FLW Outdoors events in 1998, will undoubtedly be one of the favorites heading into the FLW Tour Championship, slated for Birmingham, Ala., Aug. 2-5.
Ishama Monroe – No. 48 seed: While “Ish” Monroe started fishing the FLW Tour in 2005 and “only” has $92,000 in FLW Outdoors career earnings to his credit, don’t be fooled into thinking that any angler on the FLW Tour is going to be happy with this match up. While Monroe doesn’t have an impressive list of top-10 finishes on the FLW Tour, it’s more of a function of his longtime commitment to the Bassmaster circuit where he really cemented his reputation as one of the best anglers in the nation. With 11 top-10 finishes in the BASS elite leagues, a BASS tourney win at Lake Amistad (2006) and $360,000 in career earnings in BASS-related events, Monroe – who currently hails from Hughson, Calif., – is going to be a formidable opponent for any angler to face in the 2006 FLW Tour Championship.