For additional information, please contact:
Dave Washburn, communications director, (270) 252-1607
For Immediate Release
Wal-Mart FLW Tour boosts 2003 purse to $5.76 million cash
BENTON, Ky. (Sept. 9, 2002) – Wal-Mart FLW Tour officials announced Monday
that the 2003 Wal-Mart FLW Tour will feature a cash purse of $5.76 million,
an increase of $660,000 from 2002. The added funds also mean the 2003
Wal-Mart FLW Tour will be the only national bass-fishing series to host
three tournaments with cash awards of $1 million or more.
In addition to the $1.26 million Wal-Mart Open, which will be held April
9-12 on Beaver Lake in Rogers, Ark., the tour’s million-dollar events are
the $1 million Forrest Wood Open June 18-21 on Wheeler Lake in Florence,
Ala., and the $1.5 million Jacobs Cup Sept. 10-13 on the James River in
Richmond, Va.
The Road to Richmond, Va., concludes with the top 48 pros and co-anglers,
based on year-end points standings, competing in the Jacobs Cup for a top
award of $500,000 cash. Increased funding also benefits anglers finishing
lower in the ranks. For example, the 48th-place pro at the Jacobs Cup will
earn $12,200 cash, enough to cover entry fees for the entire season,
compared to $2,000 cash in 2002. Anglers fishing the Wal-Mart Open also
benefit from the added funding, as the 50th-place pro will earn $10,000 cash
in 2003 compared to $3,000 cash in 2002. Cash awards are presented through
75th place in all regular-season events.
Cash awards for the 2003 season represent a $1.31 million increase from
2001. In fact, Wal-Mart FLW Tour purses increased $2.11 million since 1998
without an increase to entry fees since 1999. This is only possible because
of the world-class sponsorship team assembled by the FLW Tour, a team that
will present anglers with cash awards totaling more than 219 percent of
entry fees in 2003.
Tour stops in addition to the Wal-Mart Open, Forrest Wood Open and Jacobs
Cup in 2003 are $500,000 events on Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Fla., Jan.
22-25; on the Atchafalaya Basin in Morgan City, La., Feb. 12-15; on Lake
Murray in Columbia, S.C., March 12-15; and on Kentucky Lake in Benton, Ky.,
May 14-17.
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. Wal-Mart signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1996 and
has since expanded its sponsorship of FLW Outdoors’ fishing tournaments to
include the EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas
Tournament Trail and Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Circuit.
Sponsors of the 2002 Wal-Mart FLW Tour are Wal-Mart, ALPO Pet Foods,
BFGoodrich Tires, Castrol, Chevy Trucks, 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, U.S. Bank, Weed Eater and Yamaha
Outboards.
$5.76 Million 2003 Wal-Mart FLW Tour
The Road To Richmond
Date Lake Cash Purse
Jan. 22-25 Lake Okeechobee, Clewiston, Fla.
$500,000
Presented by EverStart Batteries
Feb. 12-15 Atchafalaya Basin, Morgan City, La.
$500,000
Presented by Frito-Lay
March 12-15 Lake Murray, Columbia, S.C.
$500,000
Presented by Snickers
April 9-12 Beaver Lake, Rogers, Ark.
$1,260,000
Wal-Mart Open
May 14-17 Kentucky Lake, Benton, Ky.
$500,000
Presented by Energizer
June 18-21 Lake Wheeler, Florence/Rogersville, Ala.
$1,000,000
Forrest Wood Open presented by Kellogg’s
Top 48 pros and top 48 co-anglers qualify for the Jacobs Cup.
Pro champion … $500,000 cash
Sept. 10-13 James River, Richmond, Va.
$1,500,000
Jacobs Cup presented by Castrol
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