Virtual Championship 2006: Semifinals
Semifinal round – Chapman vs. Strader
Virtual Championship 2006
Semifinal round – Chapman vs. Strader
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: Bill Chapman (No. 21) vs. Wesley Strader (No. 45)
Bill Chapman – No. 21 seed: Hailing from Salt Rock, W.Va., Bill Chapman is one of those guys you don’t want to see at a local tournament or team event. For more than a decade, he dominated the mountain state, being described by competitors as a “well-oiled machine,” casting his way to win after win. Chapman took his fishing career to the next level in 1999 by fishing the Stren Series Southeast Division and ultimately qualifying for the FLW Tour that year. He went on to qualify for the FLW Tour Championship from 2000 to 2004, finishing as high as 14th during the 2002 event held on Louisiana’s Cross Lake. Chapman sat out the 2005 FLW Tour season, competing solely in the Stren Series, where he finished eighth in the Northeast Division while nursing a bad back. Healthier and competing better than ever, Chapman may be the dark horse of the 2006 championship with eight of his 13 top-10s coming from the deep South. Look for Chapman to power-fish his way through the bracket.
Wesley Strader – No. 45 seed: By any measure, Wesley Strader is an accomplished bass pro, even at the tender age of 32. Not only does he have over $535,000 in career earnings, but he has qualified for the prestigious FLW Tour Championship each of the past six seasons. Strader’s 2006 FLW Tour season got off to a rough start, but he rallied with three consecutive top-50 finishes to close the season. In those three tournaments alone, Strader earned $32,500 catching 30 bass that weighed over 78 pounds. The worst he can do at Logan Martin Lake is cash a check worth $15,000. But Strader likely has bigger things on his mind as the Spring City, Tenn., native finished eighth at last year’s championship earning $22,000. Despite his high seeding, Strader’s versatile fishing arsenal and tournament savvy should serve him well in the upcoming bracket brawl.
Virtual Championship 2006 (click for complete details and poll results)
Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship 2006 (click for more information)
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