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| Clunn
soars again, wins Forrest Wood Open |
| 24.Jun.2000 |
 Earns
second win in last three outings
FLORENCE, Ala. — Rick Clunn, the Wal-Mart FLW Tour’s
all-time leading money winner, added $200,000 to his
already impressive earnings Saturday with a win at the $1
million Forrest Wood Open on Pickwick Lake near Florence,
Ala.
Clunn bested his nearest competitor, Arlie Napier of
Middlesboro, Ky., by nearly 4 pounds to clinch the title,
pushing his 2000 earnings to $441,800 and career FLW Tour
winnings to more than $677,000. The win capped his third
consecutive top-five appearance. His first top five of the
season was a $200,000 win at the Wal-Mart Open on Beaver
Lake. In addition to the cash prize, Clunn collected his
second carved wooden eagle and silver Coleman lantern.
“I don’t think it will sink in for a little bit,”
Clunn joked, “at least not until I get my IRS bill. Then
it will hit me pretty hard, but that’s a good problem to
have.”
The Ava, Mo., pro caught five bass weighing 15 pounds, 11
ounce out of Pickwick during the final round using a
deep-diving crankbait. His limit included a mix of
smallmouth and largemouth bass.
By winning the lucrative tournament, Clunn automatically
qualifies for the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship presented
by CITGO Sept. 13-16 in Shreveport, La. There, he will
fish against 49 of the world’s top bass anglers for
$250,000 – the richest championship prize in bass
fishing series history.
Napier earned $100,000 for his second place finish in the
tournament presented by Kellogg’s. He caught five bass
weighing 11-14 from the BFGoodrich Tires boat. Marty Stone
of Linden, N.C., placed third and collected $50,000 with
two bass weighing 5-7 from the Land O’Lakes boat. David
Dudley of Manteo, N.C., finished fourth and earned $35,000
with a two-bass, 5-4 stringer from the VISA USA boat.
Johnny McCombs of Morris, Ala., weighed in one bass that
tipped the scales at 1-13 to win $30,000. Fishing from the
Energizer boat, McCombs also earned the Energizer Keeps On
Going award for the greatest comeback during the event. He
fought back from 17th place on day one to make the final
round.
Boasting a $4.4 million purse, the 2000 Wal-Mart FLW Tour
is the most lucrative bass fishing series in history. The
Forrest Wood Open, which will air July 8 on ESPN at noon
EST, featured a $1 million cash purse.
Run by Operation Bass Inc., the world’s largest bass
tournament organization, the FLW Tour historically
maintains a 98 percent live release rate. If the FLW Tour
continues the rate through 2000, BFGoodrich Tires will
donate $25,000 to the Children’s Miracle Network.
provided by FLW Tour |
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