The South Carolina Governor's Cup Billfishing Series named Claytime its 2026 champion, with 6 blue marlin, 1 white marlin, and 24 sailfish released for 8,675 points. The 2027 series returns to Georgetown with the 59th Annual Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament, May 26 to 29, 2027.
Photo is illustrative and does not show the fish or boat in this story.
The 2026 series winners
The Governor's Cup is South Carolina's state-run billfish tournament series, administered with SCDNR. It scores released billfish across a set of tournaments from Charleston to Georgetown and Edisto. Its October 2026 newsletter lists the top boats:
| Place | Boat | Owner / captain | Released | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Claytime | Jon Clay / Phillip Fender | 6 blue marlin, 1 white marlin, 24 sailfish | 8,675 |
| 2nd | Rascal | Foster McKissick / Mark Rogers | 5 blue marlin, 1 white marlin, 24 sailfish | 8,075 |
| 3rd | Game On | VOR Sportfishing LLC / Bubba Roof | 7 blue marlin, 15 sailfish | 7,275 |
The series named Robby Killey of Claytime its 2026 Mate of the Year, and Foster McKissick Jr. received the Governor Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Award.
The Grand Strand connection: Georgetown in May 2027
The northernmost stop on the series is the Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament, run out of Georgetown Landing Marina. The newsletter's 2027 schedule lists the 59th annual event for May 26 to 29, 2027, after the Charleston Billfish Invitational (May 12 to 15) and before the HMY Lowcountry Cup (June 2 to 5). The tournament contact listed is David Black, (843) 546-1776.
Boats in these events run 50 miles or more to the Gulf Stream, where blue marlin, white marlin, and sailfish feed along temperature breaks and ledges. Nearly every billfish in the series is released; the series promotes catch-and-release and scores releases rather than kills.
If you want to see it
The tournament weigh-ins and dock scenes are public at most events. Watch the Governor's Cup site for the official 2027 schedule, and see marlin and sailfish for how charter anglers target billfish off the Grand Strand.
Sources
- SC Governor's Cup Billfishing Series newsletter, October 2026 (Vol. 31 No. 5) (October 2026)
- SC Governor's Cup Billfishing Series: standings and schedule
News items summarize official or organizer sources linked above. Results marked unofficial can change. We do not publish catches we cannot verify.