Unlike at last month's FLW Tour regular-season finale at Lake Pickwick, Brent Ehrler can fish the Forrest Wood Cup with his mind free of the thought that his wife could go into labor at any moment. The couple's first child, a 7-pound, 15-ounce boy they named Oliver (he'll be called Ollie), was born on July 23.
But even though the proud papa's body is in Arkansas, much of his mind is still back home in California.
"This one isn't much easier – I'm just as anxious to get home from here as I was at Pickwick," he said following the final practice day. "I miss the little guy so much and it was the hardest thing to leave and come out here."
To his dismay, he was absent for the big event despite weighing in early on day 3 at Pickwick and skipping day 4 entirely (he ended up with a 10th-place finish). He tried to catch a plane out of Alabama that evening, but couldn't get to the airport in time and thus ended up driving to Memphis, Tenn. and flying out the following morning.
He would've been late either way – the baby was delivered by Caesarean section on the evening of the missed flight.
