BENTON, Ky. (June 21, 2005) - FLW Outdoors announced purse detail for its 2006 Wal-Mart FLW Tour schedule Tuesday following registration at the $1.25 million Chevy Open on the Potomac River in Charles County, Md. Next season's schedule takes the $7.6 million tour to some of the nation's best largemouth and smallmouth fisheries over the course of four $900,000 qualifying events, two $1.25 million opens and the $1.5 million Forrest L. Wood Championship.
Competition kicks off Jan. 18-21 on Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Fla., then continues on Lake Murray in Columbia, S.C., Feb. 8-11 and Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala., March 1-4. Beaver Lake in Rogers, Ark., will host the Wal-Mart Open April 5-8 followed by a stop on Kentucky Lake in Benton, Ky., May 10-13 and a tournament on Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, N.Y., June 21-24. The location for the Forrest L. Wood Championship, complete with its world-class boat and outdoor show, and the host site for the Chevy Open will be released at a later date.
"We will be announcing the location for the 2006 Forrest L. Wood Championship soon," said Charlie Evans, president and CEO of FLW Outdoors. "Fishing fans can be assured that the event will be the biggest and most exciting event the sport has ever seen."
As in 2005, each $900,000 tour stop features top awards of $100,000 in the Pro Division and $20,000 in the Co-angler division. Each $1.25 million open features top awards of $200,000 in the Pro Division and $40,000 in the Co-angler division. Every regular-season event also awards $10,000 through 50th place on the pro side.
The bracket-style, $1.5 million Forrest L. Wood Championship will once again award $500,000 to the winning pro and $25,000 to the winning co-angler. The top 48 pros and the top 48 co-anglers in Land O'Lakes Angler of the Year points standings following the six qualifiers will advance to the championship, and every pro receives a minimum of $15,000 just for qualifying.
For more information on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com. For more information on FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLW Outdoors.com or call 270-252-1000.
2006 Wal-Mart FLW Tour Regular Season Schedule
Date Lake City, State Jan. 18-21 Lake Okeechobee Clewiston, Fla. Feb. 8-11 Lake Murray Columbia, S.C. March 1-4 Pickwick Lake Florence, Ala. April 5-8 Beaver Lake Rogers, Ark. May 10-13 Kentucky Lake Benton, Ky. June 21-24 Lake Champlain Plattsburgh, N.Y.