Virtual Championship 2006
Semifinal round – Rojas vs. Kennedy
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: Dean Rojas (No. 12) vs. Steve Kennedy (No. 36)
Dean Rojas – No. 12 seed: Dean Rojas is a six-year veteran of the FLW Tour, having earned $365,000 and half a dozen top-10s along the trail. Last year marked his best one yet on tour, when the Grand Saline, Texas, pro started off the season with a third-place finish on Lake Okeechobee and then finished with an amazing fourth-place finish at the championship on Lake Hamilton. Rojas fished consistently this year, including a top-20 performance on Kentucky Lake, to be seeded 12th going into the year-end championship on Logan Martin Lake in Alabama. Rojas is a three-time qualifier for the big show, and his past championship performance on Logan Martin – 15th – bodes well for him in this year’s season-ending event on the same body of water. Rojas is a perennial performer, but some of his best fishing has taken place under championship conditions.
Steve Kennedy – No. 36 seed: Steve Kennedy of Auburn, Ala., may be carrying momentum on his side with a recent FLW Tour win on Kentucky Lake, his second win there in his career. The nail-biting final round between Kennedy and local pro Terry Bolton showcased Kennedy’s fishing prowess. In years past, the fishing at Logan Martin Lake has been dominated by finesse tackle and light equipment. Kennedy may be renowned as a big stick when it comes to ledge fishing, but don’t tie him down to that. He is not afraid to change his pattern to catch a quality limit of fish. One can tell he is versatile by noting that he is one of the most dominating anglers in competitive fishing today. He has racked up $485,469 in FLW Outdoor earnings through seven wins and 25 top-10 finishes. With this track record and experience, this is set to be a great matchup.
Virtual Championship 2006 (click for complete details and poll results)
Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship 2006 (click for more information)
Semifinals: Morehead vs. Yamamoto
Semifinals: Nixon vs. Kilby
Semifinals: Herren vs. Wendlandt
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