The 35-man field for the Toyota Texas Bass Classic (TTBC) has been finalized in advance of this year’s event scheduled for Memorial Day Weekend (May 23-25) at Lake Fork in Quitman, Texas.
Reigning and three-time TTBC champion Keith Combs is back to defend his title against a field that has combined for 190 wins, 19 Angler of the Year awards and more than $56 million in career winnings.
“This is one of the strongest and most talented fields we’ve ever had,” said tournament director Lenny Francoeur. “We shattered records during last year’s event and with yet another star-studded field, we could be looking at rewriting those records this Memorial Day on Lake Fork.”
The Top 15 finishers in the 2014 Elite Series and FLW Tour points standings earned invitations to the TTBC. In addition, Mike Iaconelli, Kelly Jordon, Terry Scroggins and Kevin VanDam were extended invites via sponsor exemptions. Combs had an automatic berth as the defending champ.
“The TTBC is the tournament I look forward to above all others each year,” said Combs “As a native Texan, it was a dream come true to win my third TTBC title last year and I cannot wait to return to the incredible Lake Fork, with the best anglers in the world, to defend my title in May.”
Anglers will also be battling for two additional awards this year: The Toyota Tundra Big Bass Award and the LEER Heavy Weight Award. The Toyota Tundra Big Bass Award is new to the 2015 event. The angler who catches the single-heaviest fish from any of the three days of the competition will win a 2015 Toyota Tundra. The LEER Heavy Weight Award will go to the angler with the heaviest total weight of fish from any of the three days of the tournament. That angler will win a LEER truck cap.
Here’s the field for this year’s TTBC with angler name, hometown and qualification type:
> Matt Arey – Shelby, N.C. – FLW Tour
> Casey Ashley – Donalds, S.C. – FLW Tour
> Jason Christie – Park Hill, Okla. – FLW Tour
> Keith Combs – Huntington, Texas – Defending champion
> John Crews – Salem, Va. – Elite Series
> Mark Davis – Mount Ida, Ark. – Elite Series
> Brent Ehrler – Redlands, Calif. – FLW Tour
> Todd Faircloth – Jasper, Texas – Elite Series
> Shinichi Fukae – Palestine, Texas – FLW Tour
> Greg Hackney – Gonzales, La. – Elite Series
> Matthew Herren – Trussville, Ala. – Elite Series
> Brett Hite – Phoenix, Arizona – FLW Tour
> Mike Iaconelli – Runnemede, N.J. – Sponsor Exemption
> Kelly Jordon – Mineola, Texas – Sponsor Exemption
> Chris Lane – Guntersville, Ala. – Elite Series
> Jared Lintner – Arroyo Grande, Calif. – Elite Series
> Justin Lucas – Guntersville, Ala. – Elite Series
> Aaron Martens – Leeds, Ala. – Elite Series
> Scott Martin – Clewiston, Fla. – FLW Tour
> Cody Meyer – Auburn, Calif. – FLW Tour
> Andy Morgan – Dayton, Tenn. – FLW Tour
> Chad Morgenthaler – Coulterville, Ill. – Elite Series
> Michael Neal – Dayton, Tenn. – FLW Tour
> Brandon Palaniuk – Rathdrum, Id. – Elite Series
> Jacob Powroznik – Port Haywood, Va. – Elite Series
> Dean Rojas – Lake Havasu, Ariz. – Elite Series
> Mark Rose – West Memphis, Ark. – FLW Tour
> Shad Schenck – Waynetown, Ind. – FLW Tour
> Terry Scroggins – Palatka, Fla. – Sponsor Exemption
> Wesley Strader – Spring City, Tenn. – FLW Tour
> Gerald Swindle – Warrior, Ala. – Elite Series
> Randall Tharp – Port Saint Joe, Fla. – Elite Series
> Bryan Thrift – Shelby, N.C. – FLW Tour
> Kevin VanDam – Kalamazoo, Mich. – Sponsor Exemption
> Jacob Wheeler – Indianapolis, Ind. – FLW Tour
