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Gilbertsville, KY .... The biggest names in the world of competitive bass angling are set to compete in the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship, September 22-25, 1999, on Ft. Gibson Lake located near Wagoner, Oklahoma, where they will vie for a share of the $450,000 purse and the largest first place cash award in competitive bass angling -- $250,000. The world class anglers represent the top 50 competitors from the 1999 Wal-Mart FLW Tour^s Professional Division and the top 50 anglers from the tour^s Co-Angler Division competing in three elimination rounds to determine which bass angler will reign as competitive bass fishing^s world champion. The championship field is comprised of winning professional and co-anglers from the previous six, 1999 Wal-Mart FLW Tour tournaments, the top five professional and co-anglers from the $1 million Forrest Wood Open, with the remainder of the field consisting of the top 40 professional and co-anglers, based on a system of accumulated points and pounds awarded during the first two days of competition in the six qualifying tournaments leading up to the championship. David Walker of Cannon, Kentucky, accumulated the most points during the regular season in the Professional Division with 313 out of a possible 450 to lead all professional anglers. Walker was named the Land O^Lakes Angler of the Year as the points leader for the 1999 Wal-Mart FLW Tour season and will be featured on a special edition box of Wheaties later this year. Walker is only the second angler in the cereal^s 75-year history to receive the honor; Denny Brauer of Camdenton, Missouri, was the first. The North Carolina and Florida contingents dominate the Professional Division field with six representatives apiece, followed by Kentucky and Missouri with four anglers from each state holding championship berths. Two father/son combinations have qualified for the prestigious championship, presented by CITGO. Keith and Ricky Green of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and Guido and Dion Hibdon of Gravois Mills and Stover, Missouri, will all compete for the incredible $250,000 first place cash, as will Roland Martin of Clewiston, Florida, whose son Scott, the Spiderwire Co-Angler of the Year, qualified to compete in the Co-Angler Division of the Wal-Mart FLW Tour^s season finale. First place in the Co-Angler Division will be $25,000. In the Co-Angler Division, four anglers who have qualified for this year^s championship, David Hudson of Jasper, Alabama, Rick Parnell of Casselberry, Florida, John Van Cleave of Eufaula, Alabama, and Leon Williams of Fairdale, Kentucky, will be participating in their fourth consecutive Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship. The championship field will compete for two days, Wednesday and Thursday, for one of 10 berths (pro & co-angler) available in the second round of action on Friday. Weights do not carry over to Friday^s round; Co-Angler competition concludes at the end of Friday^s fishing. The Professional Division field is trimmed to the top five after Friday^s action. The final five start fresh in Saturday^s round. On Saturday, each finalist is paired with an ESPN camera crew. ESPN is filming the championship as part of the Wal-Mart FLW Tour television series. The championship segment is scheduled to air Sunday, October 24, 1999, at 1:00 p.m. EST. Sponsors of the 1999 Wal-Mart FLW Tour include: Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola, Land O^Lakes, CITGO Petroleum Products, Chevy Trucks, Uniroyal Tires, Fujifilm, EverStart Batteries, Eveready Flashlights, Black and Decker, Coleman Company, Ranger Boats, Mitchell Rods and Reels, Spiderwire, Evinrude Outboard Motors, Evinrude Electric Trolling Motors, Eagle Electronics, Timex Expedition, Wrangler, Chex Mix, Hamburger Helper, US Bank-VISA, and Wheaties. The Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship, presented by CITGO, is hosted by the Wagoner Area Chamber of Commerce. Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship Presented by CITGO Qualifiers Pro Division City, State ALVIN SHAW STATE ROAD NC STEVE DANIEL CLEWISTON FL MIKE TERRY OBION TN GUIDO HIBDON GRAVOIS MILLS MO BILL SMITH PRESTONSBURG KY ROLAND MARTIN CLEWISTON FL LARRY NIXON BEE BRANCH AR PETE THLIVEROS JACKSONVILLE FL BO FRASER LORTON VA DION HIBDON STOVER MO DAVID REAULT LIVONIA MI KEVIN VAN DAM KALAMAZOO MI ART FERGUSON III ROCHESTER MI DAVID FRITTS LEXINGTON NC WESLEY STRADER SPRING CITY TN DON STEVENS OTSEGO MI CHRIS BAUMGARDNER GASTONIA NC KEITH GREEN ARKADELPHIA AR JIM TUTT LONGVIEW TX CURT LYTLE SUFFOLK VA ERIC HOLT CAPE FAIR MO TERRY BOLTON PADUCAH KY JOEL RICHARDSON KERNERSVILLE NC GARY KLEIN WEATHERFORD TX RICKY GREEN ARKADELPHIA AR CECIL KINGSLEY LAWRENCE KS DENNY BRAUER CAMDENTON MO JERRY RHYNE DENVER NC RICK LILLEGARD ATKINSON NH MARK HARDIN CANTON GA MICKEY BRUCE BUFORD GA CRAIG POWERS ROCKWOOD TN RANDY HOWELL TRUSSVILLE AL MIKE WURM HOT SPRINGS AR DAVID DUDLEY MANTEO NC CLARK WENDLANDT CEDAR PARK TX ALTON JONES WACO TX BEN LEE COLUMBIA SC TONY COUCH BUCKHEAD GA JIM MOYNAGH CARVER MN DARRELL ROBERTSON JAY OK JIM BITTER FRUITLAND PARK FL JOHNNY MCCOMBS MORRIS AL BERNIE SCHULTZ GAINESVILLE FL DAN MOREHEAD PADUCAH KY CHRIS III MONTEITH COLUMBIA SC KEN COOK MEERS OK CHUCK ECONOMOU PALM BAY FL TOM JR MANN BUFORD GA DAVID WALKER CANNON KY Co-Angler Division City State RICK PARNELL CASSELBERRY FL RON CHAPMAN LAKE QUIVIRA KS STEVEN TRAYLOR HILLSBORO IL RICK MARSH HIGH POINT NC BRYAN JOHNSON SALISBURY NC LARRY COLEMAN JASPER TX SCOTT MARTIN CLEWISTON FL BRAD CLINE SHAKOPEE MN DAVID HUDSON JASPER AL TERRY CHAPMAN CORNELIUS NC JOHN SISEMORE FARMINGTON AR BEN KRON JR MARYVILLE TN TROY PICKETT ROBERTA GA EDDIE AMOS DALTON GA DAVID COOKE DAVIDSON NC JOHN VAN CLEAVE EUFAULA OK DAVID JR SMITH EDMOND OK LEON WILLIAMS FAIRDALE KY T FULLER AUBURN AL JOHN CANTALE PANAMA CITY FL DAVID LAUER SOUTH BEND IN HOMER STEPHENS NOBLESVILLE IN JOHN BRUCE BUFORD GA MIKE MCKINNIS LITTLE ROCK AR ROB NEWELL TALLAHASSEE FL TOM HUNLEY STAMPING GROUND KY BUD GOEKE PINCKNEYVILLE IL QUINTEN STACY BASSETT VA QUINT BOURGEOIS KNOXVILLE TN BILL HALTER ANNA IL RONALD OTT INDIANAPOLIS IN CHRIS RAND DAVIE FL CHARLES TICHENOR WHEATON MO STACEY SMITH STEPHENS CITY VA KEITH BURDEN ST. PETERSBURG FL JACK LADD UNION CITY MI ANDY HEINKELEIN CINCINNATI OH AL LITTLE GREENSBORO NC TIM IRWIN KNOXVILLE TN JOHN LITTLE HOPE AR JIM SHORT OCEAN PINES MD RAY BECK BEAUMONT TX RICK GUNTER HOLLY HILL FL ANTHONY GAGLIARDI PROSPERITY SC RICHARD PRESTIGIACOMO AVON PARK FL ERIC ISRAEL SANDY HOOK CT DARRELL STEVENS ROSELAND VA RICHARD PERSSON MIAMI FL ROBERT VOGELSANG JESSUP MD DOUG CALDWELL KANE PA

Uploaded: 7/23/1999