A change in the format of the BassingBob Missouri Invitational Pro-Am Fishing and Golf Championship worked in the favor of Andy Newcomb and Chris Bridges.
The event was originally slated for fishing the first competition day followed by golf the second day and fishing on the final day. However, soggy grounds at the Old Kinderhook Golf Course led to a schedule change with fishing the first two days and an option of fishing or golf on the final day when the course was deemed playable.
After the first two days of fishing, FLW Series angler Andy Newcomb and his amateur partner Chris Bridges sat in 2nd place with 10 bass weighing 32.84 pounds. Newcomb admitted he was “not a good golfer,” so it was an easy decision for he and Bridges to opt for fishing over golf on the final day. They made the smart choice as they weighed in a 12.20-pound limit for a three-day total of 45.04 pounds to win the tournament and the top prize of $25,000.
Finishing only three-hundredths of a pound behind the winners was the team of Justin McClelland and Denise Dill with 45.01 pounds.
Among the fishing luminaries competing in this year’s event were former Bassmaster Classic and FLW Cup champion Dion Hibdon; Major League Fishing pros Mike McClelland and James Watson, FLW All-American champions Marcus Sykora, Jeremy Lawyer and Brian Maloney; and FLW pros Casey Scanlon and Dan Morehead, along with last year’s Missouri Invitational champ Mark Tucker, an eight-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier.
Pairings were determined by the amateur anglers bidding in live and silent auctions for the pro anglers they wanted as partners for the three competition days.
