By Mason Prince
Bass Pro Tour Press Release
ONAMIA, Minn. – For the first time in the history of the Bass Pro Tour, there’s a back-to-back Bally Bet Angler of the Year. After clinching his spot Tuesday in the Knockout Round of the Bally Bet Stage Seven Presented by Minn Kota, defending AOY Jacob Wheeler has secured his second-straight AOY title in the final event of the 2022 season, on Mille Lacs Lake.
Wheeler showed up to Minnesota with a big lead in the AOY race, but knew that his job wasn’t finished if he wanted to assure that second-place pursuer Jordan Lee couldn’t catch him.
“I was really a mess the first day here,” Wheeler admitted. “I knew I had to catch ‘em, so I put a lot of pressure on myself. It wasn’t real to me until I hoisted the trophy. That’s when all the emotions really came out for me.”
The Year That Was
Wheeler entered Stage Seven this week with a 65-point lead over Lee in the AOY standings. That big lead came after a consistently dominant year in which Wheeler didn’t miss a Top 10 through the first six events – he still has a chance to make it a perfect 7-for-7 if he notches another Top 10 on Mille Lacs.
