USSFN:  6/28/06 - BENTON, Ky. – Team Folgers pro Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, S.C., proved that his precipitous rise in the ranking since joining the Wal-Mart FLW Tour six years ago is no fluke by winning the coveted Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year title at the tour’s final qualifier, presented by Kellogg’s, on Lake Champlain in upstate New York last week.

Gagliardi, 28, earned the title with 1,025 out of a possible 1,200 points after successfully fending off a hard-charging Matt Herren of Trussville, Ala., who finished the season in second with 1,002 points. Herren finished 13 places ahead of Gagliardi in the season’s final tournament, but he fell short of the 36 points he needed to take the title.

Along with the prestigious Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year title, which annually goes to the sport’s most dominant bass angler, Gagliardi earned $65,000, including a new Ranger boat powered by Evinrude and $25,000 cash.

“For the past three years people have been saying it was my breakout year, and every year I’ve managed to do a little better,” said Gagliardi, who notched a $200,000 win at the Chevy Open on Lake Murray earlier this season to compliment his 2004 victory on Kentucky Lake. “To have two wins and the Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year title so early in my career is an incredible feeling. I had a lot of confidence all year, but for the last few months, ever since I took the lead, it has weighed on me. I’m glad it’s finally over. It’s definitely something I’ll always cherish.”

Gagliardi led the points race going into the Lake Champlain tournament followed by veteran Tyson pro Jim Moynagh of Carver, Minn., who had made two previous top-10 appearances this season and trailed by just 35 points. Ultimately, however, Moynagh finished the season in third with 985 points after wrapping up the season in 49th place on Champlain. Herren was just 36 points out of the lead coming in the tournament and managed to slip by Moynagh with a solid 31st place finish in New York.

Other anglers who had an outside shot at winning the Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year title were Tylenol Extra Strength Rapid Release Gels pro Gabe Bolivar of Ramona, Calif., and Weed Eater pro Ray Scheide of Russellville, Ark., who ended up finishing the season ranked seventh and fourth, respectively.

Bolivar, who made his mark in the Stren Series Western Division before qualifying for the FLW Tour this season, managed to snag the Gain Rookie of the Year title, however, with 922 points followed by Pepcid Complete pro Jason Knapp of Uniontown, Pa., with 821 points.

Gagliardi began his fishing career as a co-angler on the FLW Tour in 1999. In 2001, he moved up to the Pro Division and finished 74th in the standings. The following year he jumped to 51st in the standings then 45th in 2003. In 2004, he finished the season ranked 31st and went on to finish third in the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship presented by Castrol. Last year, he continued his rise in the standings by finishing the season ranked third and going on to finish fifth at the championship. To date, Gagliardi has earned $631,275 in career winnings through FLW Outdoors tournaments thanks to three victories and five other top-10 finishes.

“I felt good about my chances going into the final tournament,” Gagliardi said. “Last year I was in the other position, trailing the points leader, and I felt a lot more pressure. I like Lake Champlain and it fits my style of fishing. I knew what I needed to do to win the Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year title, and I got it done. It was fantastic.”

Gagliardi started the 2006 FLW Tour season off with a 30th place finish on Lake Okeechobee in January followed by a victory at the Chevy Open on his home waters of Lake Murray in February. Next he finished 49th on Pickwick Lake in March then 30th at the Wal-Mart Open on Beaver Lake in April. He returned to the scene of his first FLW Tour victory, Kentucky Lake, in May and finished 27th before heading to Lake Champlain and finishing 44th last week.

As the FLW Tour’s angler of the year, Gagliardi will enter the $1.5 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship presented by Castrol in Birmingham, Ala., Aug. 2-5 as the No. 1 seed. He will face the No. 48 qualifier, Ishama Monroe of Houghson, Calif., in a head-to-head, opening round match that will determine which angler advances in their quest to win $500,000 – the sport’s biggest payday.

Coverage of Gagliardi’s Land O’Lakes Angler of the year win on Lake Champlain will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States on Aug. 6 and Aug. 13 as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television program. “FLW Outdoors” airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time. “FLW Outdoors” is also broadcast internationally to more than 350 million households in such countries as Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide tournament coverage to more than 800,000 servicemembers stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.

The Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year title is determined by the total accumulated points from six regular-season events. Two hundred points are awarded for a win, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, call (270) 252-1000.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world’s leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Walmart.com.