Durham Rocks Lake Ray Hubbard
Waxahachie native takes TTT Championship
Three of a kind … Durham takes TTT Championship, plus, championship articles for EverStart Series and RCL Walleye Tour
Pro Tommy Durham of Waxahachie, Texas, caught six bass weighing 22 pounds, 15 ounces to win the $195,000 Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail Championship, held Oct. 18-19 on Lake Ray Hubbard in Rockwall, Texas. He earned $50,000 in cash and prizes, including $15,000 cash plus an Evinrude-powered Ranger 519VS bass boat, as the 2003 TTT Champion.
Durham caught one bass on day one that weighed 5 pounds, 6 ounces to get a relatively slow start at the tournament, but he made up for it on day two with a limit of five bass weighing 17 pounds, 9 ounces to claim the victory, his second of the 2003 season. Durham also led the field on Lake Lewisville in May and finished the regular season ranked third in Pro Division points standings.
Rounding out the top five pros were Randy Qualls of Streetman, Texas (six bass, 20 pounds, 6 ounces, $6,000); Landan Ware of Jewett, Texas (eight bass, 20 pounds, 3 ounces, $4,500 plus $4,000 bonus); David Truax of Beaumont, Texas (five bass, 19 pounds, 15 ounces, $3,500 plus $3,000 bonus); and Jason Reyes of Humble, Texas (nine bass, 19 pounds, 5 ounces, $2,500). Cash bonuses were awarded to Ranger Boat owners who met contingency guidelines.
Rick Turner of Tyler, Texas, bested the Co-angler Division championship contenders with a two-day total of seven bass weighing 21 pounds, 15 ounces. He earned $5,000 cash plus a new 195 Ranger for the win, and he earned another $5,000 cash bonus from Ranger Boats for a total award worth $40,000. He caught four bass on day one weighing 10 pounds, 15 ounces and caught another three bass on day two weighing 11 pounds to claim the tournament win.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers were Charlie Anderson of Marble Falls, Texas (eight bass, 20 pounds, $2,000 plus $2,500 bonus); Jason Barton of McGregor, Texas (five bass, 14 pounds, 8 ounces, $1,500 plus $1,500 bonus); Richard Hooter of Natchitoches, La. (four bass, 13 pounds, 8 ounces, $1,250 plus $1,100 bonus); and Anthony Ferdinando of Spicewood, Texas (two bass, 12 pounds, 7 ounces, $1,000).
The tournament kicked off from Chandler’s Landing Marina in Rockwall, and the entire field competed for two days to determine position and prize money. The championship field was comprised of the top 50 pros and 50 co-anglers based on year-end points standings after four regular-season events.