ATLANTIC

DAY 1 RECAP — HMY Lowcountry Cup: Claytime Leads Day 1 with 2,600 Points

May 28, 2026

Atlantic

Science of Fishing Editorial

Claytime, a 60-foot B and D captained by Phillip Fender, finished Day 1 atop the 2026 HMY Lowcountry Cup leaderboard with 2,600 points. Photo: Marlin Magazine.

Billfish weigh-in scene at Toler's Cove Marina, Charleston — venue for the HMY Lowcountry Cup. Photo: Saltwater Sportsman. — Toler's Cove Marina, Charleston — the host venue for the HMY Lowcountry Cup and a regular stop on the South Carolina Governor's Cup Billfishing Series. Photo: Saltwater Sportsman — South Carolina's Thriving Tournament Scene.

Day 1 of the 2026 HMY Lowcountry Cup, Presented by HMY Yachts, got underway May 27 out of Toler's Cove Marina on Charleston's Intracoastal Waterway — the third leg of the South Carolina Governor's Cup Billfishing Series. Forty-two boats fished a release-points format, with scoring applying the SC Governor's Cup's best-two-of-three-days formula for the final standing.

Game On, the 64-foot Bayliss captained by Victor Roof, in the field at the 2026 HMY Lowcountry Cup out of Charleston, SC. Photo: Marlin Magazine. — Game On — the 64-foot Bayliss captained by Victor Roof — among the 42 boats fishing the 2026 HMY Lowcountry Cup out of Toler's Cove Marina, and the boat that would ultimately take the overall title. Photo: Marlin Magazine.

Claytime led after Day 1 with 2,600 daily points, putting the boat atop a competitive provisional board as the 42-boat field returned to the dock.

Day 1 Leaderboard (Provisional)

Day-by-day provisional totals sourced from Reeltime live scoring. Results unofficial pending SC Governor's Cup ratification.

Pos.	Boat	Day 1 Pts (unofficial)
1	Claytime	2,600

Full day-by-day standings not separately published by Reeltime for this leg. Final standings available at reeltime.app.

Action from the 2026 HMY Lowcountry Cup, the third leg of the SC Governor's Cup Billfishing Series — Day 1 release-points format off Toler's Cove Marina. Photo: The Buckskin Billfish / SC Governor's Cup Billfishing Series. — Tournament action at the 2026 HMY Lowcountry Cup — the third leg of the SC Governor's Cup Billfishing Series — as the 42-boat field worked Day 1's release-points format off Charleston. Photo: The Buckskin Billfish / SC Governor's Cup Billfishing Series.

Tournament Format

The HMY Lowcountry Cup runs May 27–30 out of Toler's Cove Marina, Charleston, with lines-out each fishing day at 3:30 p.m. ET. The SC Governor's Cup applies a best-two-of-three-days release-formula to determine official final standings, so Day 1 points are provisional until the leg closes. A $647,300 prize pool is on the line across billfish release, weight categories, and angler awards.

Sources

• June 22, 2026 hero-dup fix (SCI-746) — duplicate Claytime body figure removed per board no-hero-dup rule; new Buckskin Billfish tournament-action figure added in its place to maintain ≥3 unique body photos. Cover image_src unchanged.