Closing in on $1 Million

Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., is just a whistle away from joining the BASS Millionaires Club.

His 25th-place finish last week at the Bassmaster Elite Series’ Tennessee Triumph put Hackney just $1,603 from joining the exclusive group of pros with BASS earnings of $1 million or more.

Only 26 pros can claim membership. The No. 1 earner, Elite pro Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., is less than $50,000 from surpassing the $3 million mark.

But at the rate Elite pro Dean Rojas of Havasu, Ariz., has been cashing checks lately, he might beat Hackney through the club’s door. Rojas took fourth place at the Tennessee Triumph, adding $18,000 to his career earnings. He’s now just $25,000 away from the $1 million mark.

If tournament winnings this season don’t get Rojas into the club, the 2008 points race payout probably will. If Rojas were to finish the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race where he is now — in fifth — he’d earn $35,000. He’d have to drop below eighth place in points to earn less than $25,000.