If not for Shane LeHew’s misfortune, Buddy Gross wouldn’t have qualified for today’s top 10. As you may recall, LeHew suffered a 2-pound penalty yesterday for having six fish in his livewell at one time. But LeHew also had a dead fish 4-ounce penalty on Friday.
LeHew finished 11th, only 4 ounces behind Gross, even with the 2-pound penalty. It was that extra four ounces that eliminated him for the top 10. Without that, LeHew and Gross would have been tied for 10th with a three-day total of 56-13, and LeHew would have won the tiebreaker based on biggest bag. Even with the penalties, LeHew had 23-1 Friday. Gross’s heaviest limit prior to today was 20-7 on Thursday.