One more thing about the Classic: People expected a better showing from me

As I mentioned, I’ve been doing a thousand things since the Classic - but it hasn’t stopped me from thinking about my performance. I disappointed a lot of people.

As we grow up in the fishing business, it’s a one-on-one sport and it’s a roller coaster. We know. We don’t want the lows, but I think the lows make you appreciate the highs even more. Normally, you only have the pressure of dissapointing yourself and maybe a small group of people around you. But this was different.

After I won the Classic last year I met a lot of people around the country. They said they appreciated seeing me win, and they’d be pulling for me from now. A lot of people said they were in my corner. And it was not just Elite Series fans, it was people within the industry and even in the media. Some of the media guys went out on a limb and picked me to do well. I got a lot of calls from media people after it was over, and they all had the same question: “What the hell happened?”

So here’s what I did on Sunday. I felt like the only thing I could do, not making the cut, was go to the outdoor show and support my sponsors. Show them I’ll be there whether I win or lose. So I spent time with Triton and Mercury and time with E-21. … I felt like it was the right thing to do to go the outdoor show. I talked to fans all day long and signed autographs. But I think people will understand when I say while it was great getting to talk to people that love the sport, it was awful being there instead of fishing in the finals.

People were nice to say, “Man, I hate it for you, but that kind of stuff happens. You’ll get them next time.” … But it was killing me.

I’ll say again that it was a great, great tournament. … I just wish I’d done better.