2026 SFC Walker's Cay Open: South Florida Sails Run Away With It on Six Blue Marlin

Three days in the Bahamas, six blue marlin releases, and a 1,475-point margin of victory. The 2026 SFC Walker's Cay Open turned into one of the most lopsided regular-season results of the early season, with South Florida Sails AC finishing the weekend on 2,925 points — nearly double the second-place New Jersey Sea Birds.

Tournament at a glance

• Event: SFC Walker's Cay Open
• Dates: May 16–18, 2026 (Friday–Sunday)
• Location: Walker's Cay, Bahamas — the northernmost island in the Abaco chain
• Target species: Blue marlin (450 pts each), white marlin (450 pts), sailfish (75 pts), plus Grand Slam bonus scoring
• Format: Three-day all-release competition
• Hardware: The Citizen Trophy, presented by Citizen Watch

Final standings

How South Florida Sails won it

The Sails' weekend was a two-man show on the rod. Angler Alex Stanley opened the event with a blue marlin release at 11:18 a.m. on Day 1 — the first blue marlin of the entire 2026 SFC season — and added a second blue later that day to put the club into a lead it never gave back. Lee Albarty took over on Day 2 with three blue marlin releases (450 points apiece), and Stanley added a sailfish for an extra 75. Day 3 closed with another Albarty blue at 11:24 a.m. — six blues across three days, 2,925 points, trophy.

"The fishing was really good for us, we were holding the ball," Captain Mike King said during the team's Day 2 surge. He ran the program alongside Brad Adam, with Westin Bomnskie rounding out the angling rotation.

The Ben Simmons angle

South Florida Sails is co-owned by Ben Simmons, the three-time NBA All-Star whose offseason has spilled into the SFC's broadcast pages all spring. Simmons did not compete as an angler on the boat — he has said publicly he's "not the best angler" and leaves the rods to the professional team — but he was part of the championship club and appeared in the SFC's title graphics from Walker's Cay. For a league trying to build a crossover audience around offshore fishing, having an active NBA name on a winning trophy presentation is the kind of moment the SFC will replay all season.

The other storylines

New Jersey Sea Birds (1,450 pts, 2nd): Started the weekend with a stuck trim tab and still posted the league's first Grand Slam bonus under the 2026 scoring (+200 points), with angler Mike O'Connor logging the individual Slam. A real "in spite of" runner-up finish.

East Coast Remix (900 pts, T-3): The day's most dramatic surge — last place into a tie for third in the final 90 minutes on two consecutive blue marlin releases. Captain JC Cleare: "We had an hour left to get one blue to get into third."

Lights Out Boston (900 pts, T-3): Released a late marlin at 3:50 p.m. on Championship Sunday to tie the Remix at 900. Captain Rob Carmichael, fresh off the Atlantic crown at Key West, kept the club inside the top tier of the early season.

South Carolina Outcast (675 pts): Stayed on the board across all three days, anchored by Trey Kemmerlin's Day 2 sailfish release.

Why this event mattered

The Walker's Cay Open is the first true blue-marlin test of the SFC calendar, and it rewards programs that can compound bites — every 450-pointer changes the math instantly. The Sails didn't just win; they doubled-up the field. That kind of margin in mid-May reshapes the Atlantic Division picture heading into the rest of the regular season, and it makes the Stanley/Albarty pair one of the early stories of 2026.

The Sport Fishing Championship season continues through September 7, with the top two clubs in each division qualifying for the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs in Cabo San Lucas.

Sources: Sport Fishing Championship — South Florida Sails Run Away With Walker's Cay Open; SFC — South Florida Sails AC Dominate Day 2 of The Walker's Cay Open; ESPN — Ben Simmons' club captures SFC Blue Marlin Open.