Stormy outlook
Pros battle it out for berth in finals as thunderstorms loom
GALLATIN, Tenn. – With the National Weather Service calling for severe thunderstorms and a “near 100 percent chance of rain,” the top 20 pros and co-anglers hit the open waters of Old Hickory Lake shortly after 8 a.m. in what could materialize as one of the most crucial days of the FLW tournament season to date.
To be sure, there is a lot on the line during today’s competition. For starters, the pro field will have to overcome the elements in a bid to qualify for tomorrow’s all-important finals. By the end of today’s competition, only the top 10 anglers will survive to fish for the top prize of $110,000. Meanwhile, the top 20 co-anglers will be jockeying for the prestigious co-angler title during today’s competition. The ultimate co-angler champion will receive $15,000 in prize money as well as 200 valuable points towards the year-end championship standings.
The top 20 anglers in both fields will also use today’s competition to collect as many points as possible in a bid to qualify for the year-end championship. Only the top 48 anglers in both fields will be invited to the $880,000 2002 FLW Championship slated for Sept. 11-14 on Cross Lake in Shreveport, La.
In addition, pro angler Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., will look to increase his grip on first place in the 2002 FLW Angler-of-the-Year standings race. Although VanDam entered the tournament in third place in the year-end points competition, mediocre performances by two of the former leaders – Jay Yelas of Tyler, Texas, and Sam Newby of Pocola, Okla. – provided VanDam with a nearly unobstructed path to the title. Baring a meltdown in the final FLW Tour event on Lake Champlain next June, VanDam will reach an unprecedented second consecutive angler-of-the-year title. The eventual winner of that title will receive $25,000 in prize money as well as their likeness on a nationally distributed Kellogg’s cereal box.
FLW action continues at today’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 1112 Nashville Pike in Gallatin, Tenn.
Vital statistics:
Sunrise: 5:38 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 70 degrees
Expected high temperature: 75 degrees
Water temperature: 58 degrees
Wind: From the southwest at 10 mph
Relative humidity: 84 percent
Day’s outlook: Cloudy, rain, potentially severe thunderstorms
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