Tom Arnold, Chris Rose and John Salley will be joining the worldâs top professional bass anglers on the Potomac River when the $7.6 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour rolls into Charles County June 22-25 for the inaugural Chevy Open presented by Kelloggâs. The trio will be on the water and in the tourâs Family Fun Zone at the LaPlata Wal-Mart Supercenter from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, June 24, taping an episode of the FSN hit âBest Damn Sports Show Period.â
Taping for the nationwide cable sports show, which airs weeknights at 10:30 p.m., will precede the tournamentâs day-three weigh-in and crowning of the co-angler champion, which starts at 5 p.m. Friday. Arnold, Rose and Salley will interview FLW Tour anglers and prominent sports figures from the Washington, D.C., area. Spectators could possibly make an appearance on the show as well, so you wonât want to miss this opportunity.
The Wal-Mart Supercenter hosting the Chevy Open and âBest Damn Sports Showâ taping is located at 40 Drury Dr. in LaPlata.
The Chevy Open is the final regular-season event of the 2005 FLW Tour season, and valuable points are on the line in addition to a $1.25 million purse that pays $200,000 to the winning pro and $40,000 to the winning co-angler. Following the event, the field for the no-entry-fee $1.5 million Forrest L. Wood Championship presented by Castrol will be set, and only the top 48 pros and top 48 co-anglers will be making the trip to Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Ark., July 13-16 to compete in the sportâs biggest event. The prestigious Land OâLakes Angler of the Year title is also up for grabs, with 7 UP pro J.T. Kenney of Frostburg, Md., currently leading the race by a mere two points over Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, S.C. Several other pros are also within striking range.
Anglers take off each morning from Smallwood State Park in Marbury at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday and Thursdayâs weigh-ins will also be held at the park beginning at 3 p.m. Friday and Saturdayâs weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located in LaPlata beginning at 5 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.
The community is invited to attend the free Family Fun Zone Friday and Saturday outside the weigh-in tent in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The Family Fun Zone, which opens at 2 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday, features interactive displays, product samples and games for the entire family to enjoy. Monte Burke, author of âSowbelly, the Obsessive Quest for the World Record Largemouth Bass,â will also be in the Fun Zone autographing copies of his new hit book.
Coverage of the Chevy Open presented by Kelloggâs will be broadcast to 82 million FSN subscribers as part of the âWal-Mart FLW Outdoorsâ television program July 24 and 31. âWal-Mart FLW Outdoorsâ airs Sundays at 11 a.m. Eastern time. Additionally, âWal-Mart FLW Outdoorsâ is broadcast by the American Forces Network to 800,000 service men and women stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard naval ships. Saturdayâs final weigh-in will also be broadcast live to Wal-Mart stores nationwide by the Wal-Mart Television Network.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of Americaâs largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.
For more information on FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, call (270) 252-1000.
Wal-Mart and many of Americaâs largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events.By: Dave Washburn, vp comm / FLW Outdoors
