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| G.Loomis Pro-Staffer David Walker Wins FLW Eastern Division Series Angler-of-the-Year Honors |
| October 16, 2007 |
Benton, KY. — The 2007 Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year title in the BP Eastern Division of the Wal-Mart FLW Series came down to a battle between two seasoned veterans at the fourth and final qualifier of the season on Pickwick Lake last week. In the end, BP pro David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn., edged out Chevy pro David Fritts of Lexington, N.C., by two points with a total of 688 out of a possible 800.
“Consistency is everything out here,” said Walker, who has amassed more than half a million dollars in winnings and earned a record 33 top-10 finishes in his FLW Outdoors career. “It’s just great to be able to do this against the caliber of anglers that fish the FLW Series. I’m proud to be a part of Team BP, and I couldn’t do this without the support of my wife and daughter. They travel with me everywhere I go. It’s great to have them along.”
Walker started the 2007 FLW Series season off by finishing 62nd at Lake Okeechobee in January. At the next stop, on Lake Dardanelle in May, he finished third. Walker then finished the season out with a 27th-place effort on Lake Champlain in September and a 24th-place showing at Pickwick Lake last week.
Fritts, who holds the Wal-Mart FLW Tour record for wins with four, including three in a single season, almost took the title away from Walker by finishing 20th at Pickwick. Had he finished just three places higher, he would have won.
As the Eastern Division Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year, Walker will lead the division’s top 30 pros into the FLW Series Fish-Off where they will face the top 30 pros from the National Guard Western Division in three days of head-to-head competition to determine who will advance to the 2008 Forrest Wood Cup. Walker, the No. 1 BP Eastern Division pro, will face the No. 30 National Guard Western Division pro, and the No. 1 Western Division pro will face Dion Hibdon of Stover, Mo., the No. 30 Eastern Division pro. The No. 2 qualifiers will face the No. 29 qualifiers, and so on. The winners of these head-to-head matchups will proceed to the Forrest Wood Cup along with the top 30 co-anglers based on accumulated weight at the Fish-Off. The pro with the heaviest overall weight will also earn $25,000, and the co-angler with the heaviest overall weight will earn $5,000. Click on the link to view the 2007 FLW Series Eastern final standings (top 30 pros advance to East-West Fish-Off).
The Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year title in each division of the FLW Series is determined by the total accumulated points from four regular-season events. Two hundred points are awarded for a win, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on.
Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year honors and Fish-Off qualifiers in the National Guard Western Division will be determined following the division’s final tournament Oct. 24-27 on Clear Lake in Kelseyville, Calif. The location of the Fish-Off, which will be held Feb. 7-9, 2008, will also be announced immediately following this event.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses of nearly $43 million through 241 events in 2007.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world’s leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Walmart.com.
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