WENDLANDT CAPTURES RECORD THIRD LAND O’LAKES ANGLER OF THE YEAR TITLE

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WENDLANDT CAPTURES RECORD THIRD LAND O'LAKES ANGLER OF THE YEAR TITLE

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (July 12, 2009) – Team Kellogg's pro Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, claimed his record third Land O'Lakes Angler of the Year title Sunday at the conclusion of the Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Folgers on Lake Champlain. The Angler of the Year title annually goes to the FLW Tour Pro Division angler who has the highest year-end point total in the standings at the conclusion of the regular season. Wendlandt, who earned $25,000 and a Ranger 198VX powered by a 200-horsepower Yamaha outboard for the title, secured the crown on Lake Champlain with 10 bass weighing 28 pounds, 7 ounces over the final two days of the final FLW Tour qualifying event of the season in a race that went down to the last day of the regular season.

"I'm more excited about tournament bass fishing than maybe I've ever been," said Wendlandt. "Usually it's the young guys that are the excited ones. It's just been a fun year. My roommate, Mike Surman, and I have just had a fun year and we've enjoyed being out here and I'm looking forward to next year."

A 13-year veteran of the FLW Tour, Wendlandt claimed his first Angler of the Year title in 1997 and received his second title in 2000. The bass-fishing legend has accumulated 34 top-10 finishes and three victories while earning a staggering $1.6 million.

"There's going to be a bunch of young anglers coming on in the next few years," Wendlandt said. "We're going to see tons of them. The old guys better get it together — and I'm one of them — they'd better get it together because they're about to be taken over by the young guys."

Rounding out the top five anglers in the Angler of the Year race were: Team Chevy pro Luke Clausen of Gainesville, Ga. (1,091 points); National Guard pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif. (1,084 points); Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn. (1,004 points); and Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C. (990 points).

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