Statement from White Marlin Open Directors
As has been the policy of the White Marlin Open since 2004, at the conclusion of the 2017 Tournament, the top money winners were polygraphed.
Over this past year, the Tournament Directors have demonstrated their determination to protect the integrity of the Tournament as the largest billfish tournament in the world.
The Tournament Directors make every possible effort to ensure complete fairness to all participants, including a post-tournament protocol to verify compliance with the rules. The White Marlin Open, like many other tournaments, has found that the use of polygraphs is an effective method of ensuring compliance with the rules, particularly with over 300 boats participating over tens of thousands of square miles. The rules allow the Tournament Directors to require additional polygraphs for the angler and others on the winning boat, and also provide the angler with a right to obtain a separate polygraph at his or her own expense. After all tests are...
Stunning End to the 44th Annual White Marlin Open
Within the first 40 minutes on the last day of weigh-ins at Harbour Island, $3 million dollars changed hands. To win the biggest share of the $4.9 million dollars in prize money, a white marlin would have to top the 86-pound white caught off The Griffin from Palm Beach, FL on Wednesday. That’s a big white and would have won 36 of the last 43 tournaments. A closer look, however would reveal that it would have only won 4 of the last 8 events. Still, Wilmington Delaware angler Mike Donohue had to like his chances to hold onto the $2.6 million-dollar prize.
The scale for the last day of weigh-ins opened at Harbour Island Marina at 4:00 PM. Waiting at the 3:30 bridge was MR Ducks from OC, Md. The boat was carrying OC, Md. angler Joe Andrews with a white to weigh. The digital scale judged Andrews’ fish to weigh 79.5 pounds which didn’t affect Donohue’s $2.6 million, but jumped into 2nd knocking another OC boat, the Berzerker...