Uniontown, PA – 2014 ASA Shooter of the Year, Levi Morgan, scratched and clawed his way back onto the leader board after two tough opening rounds, only to land what he, himself, described as a very "unexpected" victory at the second ASA event of the year, held in Phenix City, AL - March 20-22.
"Really, I felt like I'd finally dug a hole that I couldn't get out of," said Morgan.
The eight-time consecutive ASA Shooter of Year and SOY record-holder, knew something wasn't quite right after his opening round of 212 on Saturday. After coming out hot in the first half of the opening round, he felt he'd lost his stride and remained flat the second half of the round. Missing some close shots, Morgan felt he'd left points on the course that he should have capitalized on.
" I realized I was having a tough time transitioning between my indoor tournament bow, an Elite Victory set at 60lbs, and my outdoor tournament bow, another Elite Victory set at 70lbs with a few additional tweaks to it, "explained Morgan." My indoor set up was so dialed in and smooth, I was very used to that bow's specific feel. I realized coming off the second round that I needed to adjust my outdoor rig to give me that same 'feel' I'd become used to with my indoor set-up and that, ultimately, was what made the difference."
Shooters were greeted with light rain and very dark conditions for Sunday's second round. Target detail was tough to make out and longer shots into shadowed cover were difficult to judge. Morgan found himself two points off the leaderboard all day. With three targets left, he finally cracked the board, but an eight on his second to last target bumped him back off. Down to one final arrow in the second round, Morgan found the 12-ring on a 48-yard target with his Gold Tip Triple X to lock down the fifth position and make the final shoot off.
At the outdoor 3-D event, Pro Division contestants shoot two rounds of twenty targets from unmarked distances that vary in distance up to 50 yards. The five highest scores from the first two rounds qualify for the shoot-off to decide the winner.
Heading into the final shoot off, Morgan was six points off the lead and in the chase position, a spot he prefers to be in after his years of experience.
"I love being a couple points out going into the shoot off," said Morgan. "You can only control your own game plan, you can't control what others are thinking or planning to do, so if you can go in with your own solid strategy you can put yourself in a good position to win."
And that's exactly what Morgan went on to do. After a solid 10 and 12 on his first two targets of the shoot off, he still found himself in the fourth position. With a smooth release of his Scott Exxus, his third arrow found the 14-ring which launched him into the pole position. However, solid shooting from others led to the lead juggling between shooters for the fourth and fifth targets. With all remaining shooters within a four-point margin, all five shooters went on to a sixth target. Tommy Gomez found the 14-ring, only to be matched my Morgan's own 14, spurring the two on to a seventh target after the others fell away. Gomez again found the 14 and put the pressure on Morgan to do the same. With ice running through his veins, Morgan answered Gomez's 14 to push to an eighth target, where Gomez missed the 14-ring by an eighth of an inch, scoring an eight, which opened the door for Morgan. With a steady hand, Morgan finished the epic rise to victory with a solid 10 to take home the win.
"This is all about picking the right moment to take the risks or choosing when to play it safe," said Morgan. "Ultimately, you always have be prepared to change your plan when you least expect it and recognize the opportunity to win."
ABOUT LEVI MORGAN: World renowned archer, Levi Morgan, is a 10x World Champion, 42x National Champion, 11x Shooter of the Year and has won the ASA Shooter of the Year title a record setting 8x in a row. He is the Host of the popular hunting show, Name The Game, currently airing on the Sportsman Channel. For more information on Levi Morgan, please visit NameTheGameTV.com.
LEVI MORGAN TOURNAMENT SET UP:
BOW: Elite Victory
ARROWS: Gold Tip Triple X with Q2i Raptor vanes, 140 grain heads
REST: QAD HDX Tournament Prototype
SIGHT: CBE Vertex, no lens, .010 pin
RELEASE: SCOTT Exxus
