FOND du LAC, Wis. (Aug. 3, 2010) – Mercury Marine’s Bass-angling team finished a record-breaking season in high fashion Saturday when Kevin Vandam claimed the Bass Elite championship on the Alabama River, locking up his sixth Bassmaster Angler of the Year title to go with wins by Mercury anglers at every regular-season 2010 Bass Elite event. The Mercury team also got a win from Vandam early in the year at the Bassmaster Classic.
VanDam is only the second angler ever to claim the Bassmaster Classic and Angler of the Year titles in the same season.
The win Saturday – the 19th in Vandam’s storied career – tied the Kalamazoo angler with Roland Martin for the most career Bass wins. Vandam earned $200,000 over the weekend to push his career-earnings record to more than $4.5 million.
Ten of the 12 anglers who competed in the 2010 Elite championship drove Mercury 250 Pro XS engines.
“I know I can count on my Mercury, and that gives me confidence in my ability to win,” said Vandam.
"I never get tired of winning. This title was the hardest for me to accomplish so it means that much more. I take nothing for granted because I face competition every day that can beat me.”
Skeet Reese, a Mercury Marine angler from California, dominated much of the 2010 Bass season, winning two Elite events, finishing six times in the top-five positions and leading the Angler of the Year standings most of the year.
VanDam netted an even 26 pounds on the Alabama River over the weekend to claim the tournament win and the Angler of the Year title. Reese finished third in the AOY standings.
Mercury angler Edwin Evers of Talala, Okla., finished second in the championship event and the Angler of the Year standings. His two-day total was 24 pounds, 0 ounces.
Finishing fourth in the AOY race was Terry Butcher, Evers' brother-in-law and a Mercury angler, while Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala., also with Mercury, finished fifth. 