Who won 2014?

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The 2014 season has been over for about a month, at least for the Major pros.

Here’s a quick recap of the pros who took home the top awards this year (in order of when they were won):

Bassmaster Classic winner: Randy Howell

FLW Tour Angler of the Year: Andy Morgan

Forrest Wood Cup winner: Anthony Gagliardi

Elite Series Angler of the Year: Greg Hackney

 

So, which one of these anglers had the best season? If you can believe it, none of them.

In terms of who had the best year average-wise in Major events – both championships and regular season – that honor goes to Brent Ehrler, who had an 863.817 average for 2014. That factors in his performance on the FLW Tour (873.617 average), along with his finishes in the Forrest Wood Cup (954.545) and PAA Toyota Texas Bass Classic (714.286).

Now, we know what you’re thinking – Hackney won two events (one on each tour) and won AOY. He clearly had the best year.

No doubt, he had a banner season. He easily was the top angler on the Elite Series with his 801.674 average (Jacob Powroznik had a 790.920). And if we were going by trophies, yes, he also won with three. But again, we’re looking at the entire season. He only had a 640.253 average during the regular season of the FLW Tour. In the end, he finished 2014 in 13th with a 737.106 average. Though, I doubt you’ll hear him complaining considering all the trophies he added to the mantle this year.

As for Morgan, he too, earned his AOY honor, but just barely. He finished the FLW Tour regular season with a staggering 932.997, while Cody Meyer finished with a 924.012. Ehrler was third, but he was nowhere close to them. But Morgan couldn’t repeat as Champion of the Year (he had the best average in 2013).

 

Here are the final rankings:

Ehrler – 863.817

Gagliardi – 860.653

Morgan – 828.632

Mark Rose – 820.955

Meyer – 800.558

Jacob Wheeler – 800.079

Scott Martin – 792.361

Bryan Thrift – 771.020

Powroznik – 771.012

Todd Faircloth – 743.602

 

One interesting note with this year’s final averages is that the top eight anglers all fished the FLW Tour, unless you count Wheeler’s win at the Elite Series BASSFest as him fishing both tours. Some may say it’s because the talent pool on the Elite Series is deeper, making it hard to dominate. Others may point to the larger field on the FLW Tour, meaning it’s harder to hurt an angler’s average. We’ll leave that up to you. But after Faircloth, the next three anglers all fished the Elite Series (Casey Ashley, Keith Combs and Hackney).

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About Author

Sean cut his teeth in the journalist world as an award-winning sports reporter, editor and freelancer for various Chicagoland newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times and Daily Herald, eventually crossing over into editing and freelance writing in the Outdoor industry. In addition to his position as Editor for BassRankings.com, he is also a freelance outdoor writer and lure designer. He resides in the Chicago suburb of Lockport. An avid Bass and Muskie fisherman, his fishing influence began on ponds and lakes in northeast Illinois and has since expanded to a multitude of species across North and Central America. His passion for the sport is rivaled only by his love for building fishing lures, with a number of his designs being used by top professional anglers and produced by various lure companies today. Google+

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