Virtual Championship 2006: Semifinals
Semifinal round – Pirch vs. Chapman
Virtual Championship 2006
Semifinal round – Pirch vs. Chapman
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: Clifford Pirch (No. 9) vs. Brent Chapman (No. 16)
Clifford Pirch – No. 9 seed: The aptly named angler Clifford Pirch rose from the ranks of the Stren Series Western Division when it began in 2003. There, he established himself as one of the most consistent, all-around anglers on the nascent Western circuit by regularly posting top-60 finishes with the occasional top-10 appearance thrown in for good measure, his best being a runner-up performance at the California Delta in 2004. After having competed in the Stren Series Championship in both 2003 and 2004, Pirch earned his wings and turned his sights toward the FLW Tour. While his results on the elite level have been more erratic than during his stint in the Stren Series, the Arizona native has a knack for fishing into the final round when you least expect it. He first popped up on radar at Beaver Lake during his rookie season in 2005, where he finished fourth. This year, he managed two more top-10 finishes, at Lake Murray and again at Beaver Lake, and his bad tournaments got better, finishing out of the top 100 only once. With four finishes out of six in the money, it’s easy to see how Pirch earned his first FLW Championship bid as the No. 9 seed.
Brent Chapman – No. 16 seed: In 2002, his junior year of the FLW Tour, Brent Chapman qualified for championship as the No. 34 seed and went head-to-head with veteran angler Wesley Strader in the opening round. Chapman, a resident of Lake Quivira, Kan., nearly doubled Strader’s catch, weighing in 17 pounds, 5 ounces for the third-heaviest weight of the round. His next match would make anyone nervous – Greg Hackney, who was leading the event with nearly 22 pounds. However, Chapman buckled down and easily defeated Hackney by more than 5 pounds, securing his position in the finals and ultimately a third-place payday. That event proved that Chapman was a pressure player and capable of getting things done when money was on the line. Since then, he has posted 17 top-10s, three more FLW Tour Championship berths and six appearances at the Bassmaster Classic. Head-to-head competition suits Chapman’s abilities, and he’ll be tough to beat.
Virtual Championship 2006 (click for complete details and poll results)
Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship 2006 (click for more information)
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Browne vs. Kilby
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Hawkes vs. Yelas
Klinger vs. Kennedy
Rojas vs. Bolton
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Monsoor vs. Clausen
Pirch vs. Ehrler
Nixon vs. Cochran
Bolivar vs. Yamamoto
Bennett vs. Hibdon
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Moynagh vs. Stricker
Herren vs. Namiki
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