True competitors always look at the big picture, and that is exactly what Chris Zaldain has in mind.
“This is a big tournament for me, and I’ve been up here in the standings four times already this season,” he said. “But this final event of the year is big, really big because it’s the last regular-season event of the year.”
Now, it’s even bigger. On the strength of his position in the official standings on Friday, and now in the third place with BASSTrakk, As of yesterday, Zaldain moved into second place in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year rankings. He is just five points behind overall leader Drew Cook, with 758 points.
Zaldain has four Championship Sundays and a possibility a fifth on the way. Even though he stands the chance of being in contention to win, there is another greater prize on his mind.
“The next 10 days will now be the biggest of the season for me,” he said. “I am a contender for the AOY title, whereas before this week I was just content to be in the Classic.”
And possibly be in contention to finally break the near-misses of this season, and take home the coveted blue trophy.