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Dave Washburn, Communications Director, (270) 527-4125
For Immediate Release
Yamaha’s Yelas Wins Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year
BENTON, Ky. (July 2, 2002) — Yamaha’s Jay Yelas of Tyler, Texas, won the
Wal-Mart FLW Tour’s coveted Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year title June 22 on
New York’s Lake Champlain in a classic showdown between two world-class
anglers.
Yelas, the tour’s No. 2-ranked angler going into the $1.05 million Forrest
Wood Open presented by Kellogg’s June 19-22, fished flawlessly to earn a
ninth-place finish and his first Angler of the Year title by a mere seven
points over Chevy pro Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich.
While VanDam was the pre-tournament favorite to take home his second
consecutive Angler of the Year trophy thanks to his smallmouth-fishing
prowess, Yelas had been in contention for the honor since the season opener
on Lake Okeechobee Jan. 23-26. He finished third in that tournament and
steadily rose through the ranks with a string of top 35 finishes.
At the tour’s second stop on Wheeler Lake Feb. 13-16, Yelas finished 28th
and picked up 173 points to retain his No. 3 rank. On Lake Ouachita March
13-16, he finished 34th and added 167 points to hold steady at No. 3. Yelas
inched into the No. 2 spot on Beaver Lake with a 16th-place finish worth 185
points. Despite finishing 38th on Old Hickory Lake and earning just 163
points out of a possible 200, he retained his runner-up position heading
into the final regular-season tournament on Lake Champlain.
The Angler of the Year race was more of a roller-coaster ride for VanDam. He
started the season in 31st place on Lake Okeechobee then rose to No. 8 with
a 16th-place finish worth 185 points on Wheeler Lake. He climbed into the
No. 1 spot by finishing second on Lake Ouachita and earning 199 points, but
fell to third following a 39th-place finish worth 162 points on Beaver Lake.
He reclaimed the lead, however, on Old Hickory Lake with a third-place
finish worth 198 points.
VanDam’s 44th-place finish on day two of Lake Champlain’s four-day Forrest
Wood Open left the door open for Yelas, who finished fourth on day two to
make the top-20 cut. After earning a berth into the semifinal round, all
Yelas needed was to place 16th or better on day three to win the title. He
handily put together a 10th-place finish on day three to land a spot in the
final round, where he eventually finished ninth and secured his first Land O
’Lakes Angler of the Year title.
As Angler of the Year, Yelas earned more than $60,000 in cash and prizes,
including a Ranger boat powered by Yamaha. He will also be featured on a
special edition Kellogg’s cereal box that will hit Wal-Mart shelves in
September.
Yelas and VanDam will meet again for the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship
Sept. 11-14 on Cross Lake in Shreveport, La. In the meantime, Yelas is
looking forward to enjoying his new status. Said the new Angler of the Year,
“I can’t wait to call my nieces and nephews and tell them to run out to
Wal-Mart and buy a box of Corn Flakes.”
Named after Ranger Boats founder, Forrest L. Wood, the Wal-Mart FLW Tour is
run by FLW Outdoors, the world’s leading marketer of competitive fishing
tournaments. The organization operates 170 tournaments through the Wal-Mart
FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas
Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit and Ranger M1. FLW Outdoors
will award anglers up to $22 million in 2002.
Sponsors of the 2002 Wal-Mart FLW Tour are Wal-Mart, ALPO Pet Foods,
BFGoodrich Tires, Castrol, Chevy Trucks, Coleman, Conseco, Eagle
Electronics, Energizer, EverStart Batteries, Evinrude, Faded Glory,
Frito-Lay, Fujifilm, Kellogg’s, Land O’Lakes, Minn Kota, Newell Rubbermaid,
Pepsi, Poulan, Ranger Boats, Shop-Vac, Snickers, Stanley Works, US Bank,
Weed Eater and Yamaha Outboards.
For more information, including photos, visit FLWOutdoors.com.