“ Put simply , winning the Cup is a life-changing moment .”
PRO PERSPECTIVE
TOM
REDINGTON
“ Put simply , winning the Cup is a life-changing moment .”
In sports , the best player or team doesn ’ t always win , and fans love to cheer for an underdog . For instance , watching a group of no-name players from a small school dethrone the Goliaths of college basketball in the NCAA tournament completely captivates the nation .
While Cinderella makes for a great story , winning the Forrest Wood Cup is a major career milestone , and as such , none of the pros wants to see it won by a fluke victory . Not only does the $ 300,000 prize mean financial security for years , but winning a Cup places an angler in the annals of history , instantly becoming one of the stars of the sport . With notoriety comes greatly enhanced sponsor support , which is the lifeblood of a sustained fishing career .
On the flip side , professional fishing is a costly sport , and careers of dozens of extremely talented anglers have been cut short due to financial problems . For an up-and-comer such as Jacob Wheeler in 2012 , a Cup win establishes a career . And for a top pro such as Scott Martin in 2011 , it moves him from the category of established pro to one of the all-time greats . Put simply , winning the Cup is a life-changing moment .
This year , the top 10 finishers all had compelling storylines , and any would have been a very deserving winner who would have embodied a true champion .
John Cox , the eventual winner , was always scraping by to get enough funds to fish the Tour , leading him to famously fish from his aluminum boats . Now he ’ s universally known as a shallow-water ace , and financial worries are a thing of the past . The line to sponsor John Cox forms to the left . Please take a number .
Runner-up Michael Neal is wellregarded as a ledge fisherman , but the fifth-year pro catches them on all lakes . A Cup win for Neal would have taken him from rising star to the “ top pro ” echelon .
Todd Auten , who finished third , is as consistent as they come . Fellow competitors very well respect him , but he ’ s one of those blue-collar guys who isn ’ t a household name . A Cup win would have instantly changed that , bringing long overdue recognition for a top angler .
Bryan Thrift ( fourth ) and Mark Rose ( sixth ) are two of the biggest names on Tour , with $ 4,000,000 in earnings and 14 wins between them . Thrift is an Angler of the Year with four top fives and eight top 10s at the Cup , while Rose has made the top 10 four times now . A Cup win is very likely in each of their futures , and will be a resume builder for each to stake a position as one of the best anglers to ever fish the Tour .
For Jeremy Lawyer ( fifth ) and Joseph Webster ( 10th ), winning the Cup would have given either one a solid foothold for a career as a bass pro . Neither would have been a fluke win , either . Lawyer ran the gauntlet of numerous local and regional events to place second in the FLW Bass Fishing League All- American in 2015 , then qualified again and won the All-American in 2016 . Similarly , Webster overcame long odds to win a berth as the 2016 The Bass Federation champion .
Wheeler burst on the scene by winning the All American in 2011 and the Cup in 2012 . He finished seventh this time . A win would have cemented his place in history as the only twotime Cup winner . Like Wheeler , rising stars Chris Johnston ( eighth ) and Brandon Cobb ( ninth ) could have launched to stardom with a Cup win , too . Johnston finished second in the FLW Tour AOY race as a rookie this year , while Cobb now has two top-10 finishes at the Cup through only three seasons on Tour .
One kicker bite on a hot and muggy Alabama Sunday changed the life of John Cox forever . For the nine other talented anglers and their fans , there is only a lifetime of contemplating what could have been .
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FLWFISHING . COM I OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2016