Virtual Championship 2006: Semifinals
Semifinal round – Herren vs. Wendlandt
Virtual Championship 2006
Semifinal round – Herren vs. Wendlandt
You’ve chosen the semifinalists, and now the head-to-head matchups are getting even more interesting, reflecting both the public’s prognostication and will. Only the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship remains on the tour-level bass-fishing horizon before 2006 is etched forever in the history books. Will voters correctly forecast the FLW Tour champion? Learn more about qualifying pros while casting your daily ballot.
FLWOutdoors.com is once again hosting 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 is asking 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.
Revisit Virtual Championship 2006 daily and be a part of the voting body that could be the first to correctly anticipate the championship winner. 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) vs. Clark Wendlandt (No. 23)
Matt Herren – No. 2 seed: A resident of Trussville, Ala., Matt 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.
Clark Wendlandt – No. 23 seed: After a freakish 2005 season that saw Clark Wendlandt plunge down the leaderboard into unfamiliar territory, 2006 was a refreshing return to form for the well-known Leander, Texas, pro. Casting 2005 aside, Wendlandt has assembled one of the most lauded careers on the FLW Tour, and indeed, last season was the only season he did not make the championship. The two-time angler of the year is a threat anywhere he goes, and the last time the FLW Tour visited Logan Martin Lake – for the championship, no less – Wendlandt finish ninth. In fact, five of his 25 career top-10 finishes across all FLW Outdoors tournament trails have come on Alabama fisheries. Anyone paired against Wendlandt – anytime, anywhere – should be shaking in their boots.
Virtual Championship 2006 (click for complete details and poll results)
Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship 2006 (click for more information)
Semifinals: Gagliardi vs. Knapp
Correia vs. Knapp
Wendlandt vs. Ferguson
Couch vs. Blaukat
Chapman vs. Harrison
Robertson vs. Dudley
Bosley vs. Shaw
Morgan vs. Morehead
Browne vs. Kilby
Chapman vs. Colson
Fukae vs. Jones
Hawkes vs. Yelas
Klinger vs. Kennedy
Rojas vs. Bolton
Le vs. Lefebre
Monsoor vs. Clausen
Pirch vs. Ehrler
Nixon vs. Cochran
Bolivar vs. Yamamoto
Bennett vs. Hibdon
Martin vs. Berry
Scheide vs. Strader
Moynagh vs. Stricker
Herren vs. Namiki
Gagliardi vs. Monroe