Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Levi Morgan Wins 10th Straight ASA Shooter of the Year Title

Uniontown, PA – Levi Morgan never gets tired of breaking records, even if they are his own. Morgan entered the ASA Classic, held in Fort Benning, GA, August 4-7, with 1699 total points and a 9-point lead for Shooter of the Year (SOY) honors over the nearest competitor. After a sluggish start on the first day, it came down to a late surge on day 2 to clinch his 10th ASA SOY title, breaking his own current record of 9 titles in a row, set during 2015 season. In total, Morgan took home wins at 3 of 6 ASA events, in addition to the '16 SOY title.

Friday's opening round found Morgan paired with Tommy Gomez, who was holding onto second position in the SOY totals. Both struggled to gain traction, opting to play it safe and not give up points rather than take an aggressive approach. The strategy led to some solid scores, but not big numbers. Morgan finished out day 1 with a 208, picking up two points on Gomez heading into the final round of the Classic.

At the ASA 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. Shooter of the Year is determined by cumulative totals of first and second round scores from each ASA event throughout the season. Shoot down scores do not count toward the SOY totals.

"For me, this is the most stressful time of the year. I know I should just focus on winning the tournament and that'll lead to winning SOY, but those scoring totals keep creeping into my head and I start shooting conservative," said Morgan. "It goes against my typical strategy where I come into a tournament planning to be aggressive. If I need points, I shoot for what it takes to win. But this time I hit a bunch of targets, shot well, but didn't score very high. I just wasn't taking the risks."

Heading into the second day of the event, Morgan was 16 points off the event leader. His focus quickly switched from advancing in the Classic, itself, and turned entirely to holding on to his SOY points total and claiming the 10th title in a row, which he wanted so badly. Again, paired with Gomez, both shooters came out of the gate slow. Yet, Gomez, knowing he had to become aggressive, kicked it into gear and hit a streak of targets that put him within one point of tying
Morgan for the SOY points total. With the second half of the final round remaining, Morgan was struggling to find a 12, while Gomez seemed to hit everything he set his sight on.

"I actually stepped away behind a tree and had have a conversation with myself," said Morgan. "I realized I had to start shooting aggressively, which was the strategy that has always gotten me in a position to win year after year. I just had to start shooting as if I was chasing the lead."

The change of strategy paid off. Morgan pounded 12's on seven of his final nine targets to secure the SOY title, his 10th in row. The late surge gave Morgan a two-day total of 428 at the Classic, winning the SOY by 13 points. It also put Morgan in the final shoot down at the Classic, where he claimed a third place finish at the tournament, itself.

Reflecting on the 2016 win and how it compares to wins in 2014 and 2015, Morgan felt there was a difference. Ten years ago, Morgan set a goal of winning eight SOY titles in a row, breaking what had been the record of seven at the time. He was told it couldn't be done, but worked hard and made it happen. So, while his eighth SOY title may have proven his sweetest, it has only fed his drive to keep winning.

"This was such a tight race this year, I felt the pressure, so this season seemed to have more weight to it. I felt like if I made one small mistake, had just a couple bad targets, the whole season of work could come crashing down," said Morgan. "The whole season can come down to a few points. Just thinking about it made me a little nauseous and gave me cold sweats. But, I guess I shoot better when I'm feeling nervous, something takes over and I regain focus.

"Now, I can go into the IBO World's next week knowing I don't have to stress about a points race. I can come in and shoot aggressive, the way I like, and shoot to win. And after that, it's hunting season – what more motivation do I need?"



ABOUT LEVI MORGAN: World renowned archer, Levi Morgan, is a 11x World Champion, 48x National Champion, 12x Shooter of the Year and has won the ASA Shooter of the Year title a record setting 10x in a row. He is the Host of the popular hunting show, Name The Game, which airs on the Sportsman Channel. For more information on Levi Morgan, please visit NameTheGameTV.com.


LEVI MORGAN TOURNAMENT SET UP:
BOW: Elite Victory 37
ARROWS: Gold Tip Triple X with Q2i Raptor vanes, 150 grain heads
REST: QAD HDX Tournament Prototype
SIGHT: CBE Vertex, 4x lens, .015 fiber
RELEASE: SCOTT Longhorn Pro Advantage
PEEP: Peeping Tom