John Murray’s quest for the “ultimate” victory in the West came true at Lake Mead when he came from behind to win the U.S. Open. It was one of the closest races in the five years of the Open, going down to a “photo finish” at the wire. Only slightly over 5 pounds separated the top 10 anglers and Murray won the grand prize by a slim 1.12-pound margin. He finished with a 3-day total of 40.72 pounds for 18 bass (3 limits) to win the $50,000 cash top prize offered by WON BASS. Not only that, he took the tournament’s largest bass on the final round, with a 4.35 pounder that earned him the overall “big bass” prize of a new $28,000 Ranger 482V boat. Murray also got the one-of-a-kind U.S. Open trophy, a beautiful bronze sculpture creative exclusively for the Open winner by artist Chris Barella — and valued around $4,000.