Pickett’s Picks: AWA World Championship

Continuing the tradition started at the Georgia Qualifier, we turn to Liam Pickett, a friend of AWA pro Russell Barngrover, to foretell how the field at the AWA World Championship will shake out after the competition ends Sunday night. During the Georgia and Texas Qualifiers of the Whitetail Pro Series presented by Keystone Sporting Arms, Pickett picked four of the top five finishers correctly.

“This was next to impossible to rank these guys. I couldn't just look at their qualifying scores and rank highest point total down to lowest,” said Pickett. “Each event had very different conditions. So with that said here are my picks.”

1. Russell Barngrover
2. Brandon Cartwright
3. Garry Adams
4. Scott Adams
5. Carson Yates
6. Doug Williams
7. Larry Large
8. Ryan Wollard
9. Chip Steely
10. Lee Fesmire

“If the deer population is what Giles Island boasts, then it will definitely come down selecting the "right" deer and, more importantly, making the shots count,” said Pickett. “The competitors can't risk wounding the deer because the final point total should be a fairly large number and every point will count.”

Pickett chose his friend to finish atop the leaderboard, but before you start thinking he’s showing favoritism consider the fact that he picked Barngrover to finish in second place at the Georgia Qualifier at Gopher Plantation—which is exactly where the Charlotte, N.C., sportsman placed.

“Russell is my number one pick for two reasons,” said Pickett. “First, his competitive drive is unsurpassed and, second, he is a tremendous marksman.”

While Pickett has been very accurate, he does have one historical marker that might give Arkansas’s Lee Fesmire some confidence. In the Georgia Qualifier, Pickett chose Carson Yates to finish dead last. The young University of Auburn student came in with a plan, however, and by sticking to it overcame a miserable Day One morning to win the entire event.