by David A. Brown
FLW Press Release
LUFKIN, Texas – Christmas came early for Strike King pro Phil Marks. Yesterday, the tenured Texas angler said he needed cloudy weather to tap the full potential of his offshore spots and, after three days of mostly sunny conditions, he got the skies he needed to turn in a crushing performance that topped the Walmart FLW Tour Open on Sam Rayburn Reservoir.
Now, you know how it is when you get a new car – before taking your buddies for a spin, it's kinda cool just to step back and admire the sweet points. Let's do that with Marks' victory. Consider these sweet stats:
- Marks' massive final-round limit of 32 pounds, 12 ounces was 15 pounds, 7 ounces heavier than that of his nearest competitor (second-place Keith Combs).
- Marks' four-day weight of 82 pounds gave him a winning margin of 16-5 (third largest in FLW Tour history).
- That margin alone was more than the final day weights caught by the third- through 10th-place pros.
- And here's one that doesn't show up on the stat sheets – the Dallas, Texas, pro was the only competitor requiring two weigh-in bags to carry his enormous catch to the scale.
Now, you know how it is when you get a new car – before taking your buddies for a spin, it's kinda cool just to step back and admire the sweet points. Let's do that with Marks' victory. Consider these sweet stats:
- Marks' massive final-round limit of 32 pounds, 12 ounces was 15 pounds, 7 ounces heavier than that of his nearest competitor (second-place Keith Combs).
- Marks' four-day weight of 82 pounds gave him a winning margin of 16-5 (third largest in FLW Tour history).
- That margin alone was more than the final day weights caught by the third- through 10th-place pros.
- And here's one that doesn't show up on the stat sheets – the Dallas, Texas, pro was the only competitor requiring two weigh-in bags to carry his enormous catch to the scale.
