Bassmaster Pros Will Find Changed Conditions
BASSMASTER ELITE 50 CHAMPION
Pros fishing in the Elite 50 series will be competing for Bassmaster Elite 50 points throughout the four showdown-style events. Anglers are awarded points based on their finishes in each of the four events. The tournament winner receives 300 points. The scoring decreases in 5-point increments to fifth place, 4-point increments through 10th place, 3-point increments through 15th place and 2-point increments to 50th place.
2004 BASSMASTER ELITE 50 POINTS
Pl Name St Pts
1 Kevin VanDam Mich. 563
2 Stacey D King Mo. 556
3 Zell Rowland Texas 548
4 Gary Klein Texas 536
5 Brent Chapman Kan. 529
6 Kenyon Hill Okla. 508
7 Mark Davis Ark. 507
8 Randy Howell Ala. 505
9 Jay Yelas Texas 502
10 Todd Auten S.C. 496
10 Alton Jones Texas 496
12 Greg Hackney La. 492
13 Dustin Wilks N.C. 487
14 Kelly Jordon Texas 480
15 Dean Rojas Texas 473
16 Gerald Swindle Ala. 467
17 Brian Snowden Mo. 465
18 Randy Blaukat Mo. 464
19 Peter E Thliveros Fla. 458
20 John Murray Ariz. 457
21 Tom Biffle Okla. 456
22 Ben Matsubu Texas 455
23 O T Fears III Okla. 452
24 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 451
25 David Fritts N.C. 450
26 David Wharton Texas 448
27 Todd Faircloth Texas 446
27 Denny Brauer Mo. 446
29 George Cochran Ark. 444
29 Bud Pruitt Texas 444
31 Larry Nixon Ark. 442
32 Davy Hite S.C. 441
33 Tim Horton Ala. 440
34 Roland Martin Fla. 434
34 Edwin Evers Okla. 434
36 Skeet Reese Calif. 430
37 Mark Menendez Ky. 428
38 Jim Bitter Fla. 424
39 Rick Clunn Mo. 420
40 Ron Shuffield Ark. 418
41 Jack A Gadlage Ky. 414
42 Chad Brauer Mo. 412
43 Bernie Schultz Fla. 406
43 Brett Hite Ariz. 406
45 Paul L Elias Miss. 402
46 Kevin Wirth Ky. 398
47 Robert Lee Calif. 376
48 Ishama Monroe Calif. 374
48 Mike Wurm Ark. 374
50 Shaw E Grigsby, Jr* Fla. 251
*Withdrawn from competition for medical reasons
PUROLATOR BIG BASS
New for 2004, Purolator, the official oil filter and air filter of BASS, is instituting an incentive to the angler who catches the heaviest fish each day. Pros catching the largest fish will receive a $1,000 bonus in all four of the Bassmaster Elite 50 events. An additional $1,000 will be awarded to the angler who catches the largest fish of each tournament.
BUSCH SHOOTOUT
Another new program for 2004 is the $200,000 Busch Shootout contingency program. Qualifying Tour pros will receive a $1,000 bonus for the largest sack brought in per tournament day.
The top 10 “Busch Heavyweights” from the Tour and Elite 50 events will be joined by anglers with the top weights from the 2004 Classic, the 2004 Federation Championship and the 2003 Open Championship to compete in the
single-day Busch Shootout tournament, Sept. 18, on a mystery lake. The winner will receive $100,000, with everyone else taking home a $5,000 check.
Now, with only two events left, only eight opportunities remain for anglers to qualify for the Busch Shootout from the Elite 50 series. Arizona‚s John Murray was the first to qualify for the Busch Shootout tournament by having the heaviest sack at the 2003 CITGO Bassmaster Open Championship on Toledo Bend Reservoir last December. Murray’s Day 3 catch of 21 pounds qualified him for the tournament.
The Busch Shootout field will also include Iowa’s Thad Takes, who had the heaviest weight of the CITGO BASS Federation Championship with 14 pounds and 12 ounces on the final day, as well as Texans Kelly Jordon and Mark Rogers, who are in the top two slots and can‚t get bumped out.
Murray, Takes, Jordan and Rogers will be joined by eight additional Heavyweights, and the angler with the heaviest catch at the CITGO Bassmaster Classic to fish for the $100,000 grand prize on the mystery lake in Sept.
Currently, the top 10 Busch Heavyweights are:
Kelly Jordon Texas 32-2 Santee Cooper Lakes
Mark Rogers Texas 31-3 Lake Eufaula
George Cochran Arkansas 29-15 Lake Guntersville
Stacey King Missouri 28-2 Lake Guntersville
David Wharton Texas 26-7 Harris Chain of Lakes
Kevin VanDam Michigan 26-3 Lake Guntersville
Jason Quinn South Carolina 24-14 Harris Chain of Lakes
Bink Desaro Idaho 24-5 Lake Eufaula
Denny Brauer Missouri 23-12 Lake Eufaula
Ben Matsubu Texas 23-10 Lake Eufaula
CLASSIC WATCH
The top 10 anglers in point standings from the Bassmaster Elite 50 series will earn a berth in the 2004 CITGO Bassmaster Classic presented by Busch Beer. Forty-one anglers have already qualified for the 2004 Classic, Five through the CITGO BASS Federation Championship, 12 through the CITGO Bassmaster Open divisions and another 25 through the Tour. Those 41 include:
BASS Federation Southern Division Russ Lane
BASS Federation Central Division William Pippen
BASS Federation Northern Division Thad Takes
BASS Federation Western Division Jeff Boyer
BASS Federation Eastern Division George Acord
CITGO Bassmaster Open
Southern Division
Tim Horton
David Walker
Denny Brauer
Central Division
Edwin Evers
Tim Carroll
Steve Sennikoff
Northern Division
Art Ferguson III
Kevin Wirth
Chuck Economou
Western Division
Bink Desaro
John Murray
Skeet Reese
CITGO Bassmaster Tour presented by Busch Beer
Gerald Swindle
Greg Hackney
Michael Iaconelli
Kelly Jordon
Aaron Martens
Scott Suggs
Bernie Schultz
Takahiro Omori
Brent Chapman
Chad Brauer
Davy Hite
Chris Baumgardner
Marty Stone
Mark Davis
Brett Hite
Alton Jones
Gary Klein
Jim Bitter
Dean Rojas
Lee Bailey
Peter Thliveros
Harold Allen
Kevin VanDam
Mark Kile
Stacey King
