Virtual Championship 2006: Bracket 2
Opening round: Herren vs. Namiki
Virtual Championship 2006
Opening round – Bracket 2, Herren vs. Namiki
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: Matt Herren (No. 2 seed) vs. Toshinari Namiki (No. 47)
Matt Herren – No. 2 seed: A resident of Trussville, Ala., Herren is perfectly positioned to make a strong run at the 2006 FLW Tour Championship. With the championship slated for Birmingham, Ala., Herren will do his best to try and maximize his “hometown” advantage. However, despite his familiarity with Alabama waters, Herren also has the advantage of being one of the hottest anglers on the tour in 2006. Herren scored two top-10 finishes on the FLW Tour this year alone, and has steadily improved each season on the FLW Tour’s year-end standings list (finishing 11th overall in 2003, 9th in 2004, fourth in 2005 and second this year). Herren currently boasts $290,000 in career earnings, three FLW Tour top-10 finishes and 16 total top-10 at all FLW Outdoors-related events.
Toshinari Namiki – No. 47 seed: Despite only fishing the FLW Tour in earnest since 2003, Japanese native “Toshi” Namiki has already recorded a truly impressive list of accomplishments – the highlight of which came during a virtually unprecedented string of dominating performances in 2005 when he netted four top-10 finishes on the FLW Tour in only six events. A Japanese native with very little previous experience fishing American waters, Toshi is not your typical 47th seed – having recorded an incredible five top-10 finishes on the FLW Tour in the last two years alone, including a title on the Ouachita River in 2005. Namiki, who is known for his meticulous scouting of tournament venues, has won over $267,000 in career earnings in FLW Tour events. In short, although Namiki can struggle with the English language from time to time, his extensive tournament preparation virtually guarantees a strong showing on Logan Martin Lake this August.
Virtual Championship 2006 (click the link for complete details and poll results)
Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship 2006 (click the link for more information)
Virtual Championship 2006: Bracket 1