Virtual Championship 2006: Bracket 18
Opening round – Morgan vs. Morehead
Virtual Championship 2006
Opening round – Bracket 18: Morgan vs. Morehead
Another exciting season of tour-level pro bass fishing drew to a close in record-smashing fashion on Lake Champlain last month, 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: Andy Morgan (No. 18) vs. Dan Morehead (No. 31)
Andy Morgan – No. 18 seed: Competing in the FLW Tour Championship is nothing new for Andy Morgan, who hails from Dayton, Tenn. The Ozark Trail pro has qualified for the event nine out of 11 possible years, just missing the cut in 1999 and 2002. In 1996, his rookie year, Morgan not only qualified for the championship, but also posted a fifth-place finish on an ultratough Lake Sinclair. Over the next 10 years, he would go on to collect five wins and amass 32 top-10s in FLW Outdoors competition. This year, he has been on a roll in both FLW Tour competition and the new FLW Series. On the FLW Tour, he has posted one top-10 and two more top-50s, cashing a check in four of the six regular-season events. His performance is even more impressive in the FLW Series, where he’s currently ranked seventh after three events. He finished 17th on Lake Lanier; 19th on Old Hickory Lake and 55th on Lake Cumberland. Through sheer consistency, Morgan is always a threat.
Dan Morehead – No. 31 seed: If there is a “Who’s Who” of bass fishing, Morehead’s name is printed in big, bold letters. On the FLW Tour alone, he has two wins, 11 top-10s and a Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year title to his name. But it doesn’t stop there. He has been to the FLW Tour Championship eight times, finishing seventh in 1999; competed in the Bassmaster Classic three times; and posted three wins in the Stren Series, where he led the Central Division in 2004. As a professional angler, Morehead has an additional 23 top-10s in the record books. While he is a fairly consistent angler, Morehead has the ability to put one away when he knows a victory is within his reach. If he can register a sixth-place finish at the FLW Tour Championship in August, he will join the elite million-dollar club for FLW Outdoors career earnings.
Virtual Championship 2006 (click for complete details and poll results)
Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship 2006 (click for more information)
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