Ron Farrow from Rock Hill, S.C., is undoubtedly the most interesting story among today's 12 finalists at the Southern Open on Lake Norman. This is his first-ever B.A.S.S. tournament.
Farrow admitted being "overwhelmed" on Day 1, when he caught 3 bass weighing 5-6, which put him in 100th place out of 146 pros. But Farrow caught the biggest bag of the tournament Friday – 16 pounds, 10 ounces – to jump all the way up to 10th place with 22-0.
"I could have done that the first day, if I hadn't rushed everything," Farrow said.
In a world where increasingly it seems that every man who has ever caught a bass wears a tournament jersey, whether on the water or off, Farrow doesn't own one. He entered this event only two weeks ago.
Farrow, 41, has been hanging drywall for 25 years. This might mark the birth of a second career.
Consider the rest of the field today: five Elite Series anglers (Andy Montgomery, Chad Morgenthaler, Hank Cherry, Greg Vinson and Cliff Pace, the 2013 Classic champ; another angler, Jordan Lee, who will be on the Elite Series next year and qualified for the Classic last year; David Williams, who fished the 2009 Classic; and four other anglers who all have significant accomplishments on their fishing resumes.
No wonder Farrow admitted being nervous this morning. Who wouldn't be?
