04/12/17

SAP Extreme Sailing Team triumphs in 2017 Extreme Sailing Series™

Danish-flagged SAP Extreme Sailing Team was crowned champion of the 2017 Extreme Sailing Series™, while Alinghi took home the Act 8, Los Cabos, presented by SAP trophy, in an electrifying season finale.

The wind tantalised the apprehensive teams, only filling in enough to run three scoring races in the final hour of the day. The Danes had victory in the bag by the time it came to the closing double-points race but the heat was still on between Alinghi and Oman Air in the war to win the first-ever Mexican Extreme Sailing Series Act.

For an ecstatic SAP Extreme Sailing Team co-skipper Rasmus Køstner this is a momentous occasion, as it is his first ever victory in the ultimate Stadium Racing championship since he began competing in 2012.

„It’s a goal we’ve had for a long, long time, and it’s actually the reason we started the project, so it is amazing,“ said an elated Køstner, who celebrated with his fellow crewmembers: Co-skipper and coach Jes Gram-Hansen, helm Adam Minoprio, headsail trimmer Pierluigi de Felice, trimmer and grinder Mads Emil Stephensen and bowman Richard Mason.

„It’s been a great journey and a really fantastic achievement by the team and I’m very proud of them for the work they’ve put in. We’re finally here and it’s a good feeling, that’s for sure,“ added Køstner, whose team’s victory was topped off by winning the Zhik Speed Machine Trophy for reaching the top speed of the Act and of the year at 33.7 knots, an insight provided by SAP.

Although the season trophy was out of reach for Alinghi and Oman Air, their fate in Act standings was only decided in the last nail-biting race of the day. Not deterred by Oman Air’s two race wins in the run-up, the Swiss finished ahead of the Omani syndicate to seal the Act 8 triumph.

„Today was quite tricky and we didn’t start the day well but we came back in the second race and everything was on the table for the last one,“ said Arnaud Psarofaghis, co-skipper and helm of Alinghi, who finished second for the season.

„It was a great battle with Oman Air, but we managed to beat them. I think Phil Robertson [skipper of Oman Air] lost at his own game of trying to match race us and we got ahead in the end. Really well done to SAP Extreme Sailing Team; it’s been a great season,“ he added.

Despite a commendable effort in the two opening races, Oman Air was unable to catch its adversary Alinghi and finished second for the Act and third for the season.

„It was a massive fight and we were very close to pulling off the event win. We were in the position a couple of times in that last race to do it, but unfortunately the Swiss sailed a little too well to make it easy for us. We had to get our hands dirty but it didn’t go our way,“ said skipper Phil Robertson.

„It was a very good event, I’m pretty pleased with the way we sailed today but it would be nice to be on the top step,“ he added.

With SAP Extreme Sailing Team determined to keep its main threat at an arm’s length, Red Bull Sailing Team had a tough battle on its hands and one which it lost.

„SAP Extreme Sailing Team were going at us from the start. We knew they were coming but Adam Minoprio is a very good match racer and I judged it wrong. We fought back but it still wasn’t enough,“ said skipper Roman Hagara, whose team finished fourth for the Act and the season.

Land Rover BAR Academy was helmed this week by Olympic gold-medallist and 2017 America’s Cup sailor Giles Scott, who managed to out sail his America’s Cup rival, Kiwi Josh Junior, who was at the helm of NZ Extreme Sailing Team. A fifth-place finish in the Act for the Brits saw it leapfrog the New Zealand-entry on the overall leaderboard to take fifth.

The drama was heightened in the final double-points race when local wildcard Team Extreme México pulled off its first-ever race win. The crowds were overjoyed for the home team, which was skippered by Mexican sailor Erik Brockmann and helmed by Brit Chris Taylor.

„We couldn’t have asked for more. We had a tough second race today so we had nothing to lose going into the final race. We thought ‚let’s go for it, let’s give the crowd a show‘,“ said Brockmann.

„We had a great start. We were the only ones on port and it gave us a good advantage over the fleet. In this fleet, you can’t be leading at the first mark and just keep hold of that lead. We had to really fight for it to go our way and it was just amazing for the crowd. We could hear all the fans and that made it very special.“

US-flagged wildcard Lupe Tortilla Demetrio, who competed for the second time here in Los Cabos following its debut at Act 7, San Diego, finished bottom of the Act leaderboard.

Act 8, Los Cabos, presented by SAP, rounded off a sensational 10-month long season that has seen the Stadium Racing championship visit eight cities across three continents. The high-octane action resumes in 2018 and the calendar will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information about the event visit the official website.

Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 8, Los Cabos, presented by SAP standings after Day 4, 20 races (03.12.17)
Position / Team / Points

1st Alinghi (SUI) Arnaud Psarofaghis, Nicolas Charbonnier, Timothé Lapauw, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey 224 points.

2nd Oman Air (OMA) Phil Robertson, Pete Greenhalgh, James Wierzbowski, Ed Smyth, Nasser Al Mashari 212 points.

3rd SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Rasmus Køstner, Adam Minoprio, Mads Emil Stephensen, Pierluigi de Felice, Richard Mason 209 points.

4th Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans Peter Steinacher, Stewart Dodson, Adam Piggott, Will Tiller 191 points.

5th Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR) Rob Bunce, Giles Scott, Oli Greber, Sam Batten, Matt Brushwood 157 points.

6th NZ Extreme Sailing Team (NZL) Graeme Sutherland, Josh Junior, Harry Hull, Andy Maloney, Josh Salthouse 157 points.

7th Team Extreme México (MEX) Erik Brockmann, Chris Taylor, Alex Higby, Tom Buggy, Danel Belausteguigoitia Fierro, Armando Noriega Negrete 153 points.

8th Lupe Tortilla Demetrio (USA) John Tomko, Jonathan Atwood, Matthew Whitehead, Tripp Burd, Trevor Burd 125 points.

Extreme Sailing Series™ 2017 overall standings
Position / Team / Points

1st SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) 98 points.

2nd Alinghi (SUI) 96 points.

3rd Oman Air (OMA) 95 points.

4th Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) 84 points.

5th Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR) 70 points.

6th NZ Extreme Sailing Team (NZL) 70 points.

Additional quotes:

Rob Bunce (GBR), skipper and bowman of Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR): „We were really excited to come to a new venue and for the first three days we had some amazing breeze, which we weren’t expecting. It’s great to sail these boats in the conditions they were made for. We had a new helm here in Giles Scott and it’s been difficult for us to transfer that learning to a different person, but I think today we finally did that so we’re happy enough.

„We’ve had our ups and downs but I think when we get the best five guys together we’re a force to be reckoned with and we proved that with our second place in China and our win in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup. After that it’s about finding new sailors from the UK and bringing that talent through. We’ve got a great bunch of guys now and a great bunch of guys next year, so the Academy is doing really well.“

John Tomko (USA), skipper and helm of Lupe Tortilla Demetrio (USA): „It was a huge opportunity to be able to do this, racing with some of the best sailors in the world. I would never have dreamed I would have that chance. It was a lot of fun, we really enjoyed it. Getting to sail with the guys on our boat was a real pleasure for me, I feel like they’re all a league above me so watching them learn the boat and get better and better was a tonne of fun.“

Josh Junior (NZL), co-skipper and helm of NZ Extreme Sailing Team (NZL): „We’re sailing the boat heaps better than when we started. I think things just haven’t gone our way this week and I guess that happens from time to time but we’re improving and looking forward to next season.“

Adam Minoprio (NZL), helm of SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN): „We’re ecstatic. We’ve been working hard this year and always looking to improve. To be able to win half of the events this year has been great for the team and we feel like we’ve really improved the boat, the team and the performance, and we’re pleased we get the reward of the win here.“

https://www.extremesailingseries.com
1/12/17

Alinghi raises its game and moves ahead at Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 8, Los Cabos, presented by SAP

A near faultless performance from Alinghi saw it move top of the Extreme Sailing Series™ Los Cabos leaderboard as the double-points season finale reached the halfway mark.

Meanwhile, SAP Extreme Sailing Team upheld its spot on the podium behind Oman Air and continued to defend its overall grip on the 2017 rankings.

Five wins from six races gave Alinghi a six-point overnight lead. Only Oman Air was capable of spoiling its whitewash in the final leg of the closing race.

„We were very fast on the racecourse and we had a little bit of luck with the wind shifts. We had some clear starts and everything came together,“ said Arnaud Psarofaghis, co-skipper and helm of the Swiss entry.

„The team worked well on the water and we had a near-perfect day, just one second place in the last race, and it was great. We’ll have one or two beers this evening after a good day’s racing,“ he added.

Despite Alinghi and Oman Air’s best efforts to stay ahead of the pack in Los Cabos, in order to topple SAP Extreme Sailing Team’s overall reign of glory they require the help of a third team to knock the Danes off the Act podium. Something that is proving difficult.

„We’re very happy today, things went better for us,“ said Adam Minoprio, helm of SAP Extreme Sailing Team. „Oman Air had a very lucky day on the first day, smashed it, and got great results and then Alinghi again today.

„Over the last two days they have both been very deep in a lot of races and managed to come back to get first or second. We feel like we started well, sailed well and got to the first mark in good positions. We just need to iron out the little problems. We’ll have our day before the regatta is out and we’ll get the lead,“ Minoprio added.

Although 14 points separate Red Bull Sailing Team from SAP Extreme Sailing Team in third, the Austrian squad managed three podium finishes and climbed from sixth to fourth. If Red Bull Sailing Team can continue this trend it could threaten the podium and the overall season result.

„Today was a bit mixed. It was better than yesterday but we’re still not on the top of our game. We can do better but it’s a very tricky venue. If you make one little mistake it’s hard to catch up again,“ said skipper and double Olympic gold-medallist Roman Hagara.

Emirates Team New Zealand America’s Cup champion Josh Junior was able to keep NZ Extreme Sailing Team ahead of Land Rover BAR Academy, which is helmed by his British America’s Cup rival and Olympic gold-medallist Giles Scott.

„It would be very nice if we got a podium but I don’t think after today we’re quite there yet,“ said Kiwi co-skipper Junior. „We’re fighting in amongst it, getting closer day by day, and maybe tomorrow we’ll work our way into it.

„We’re just trying to win races, we’re not too worried about the overall scoreboard,“ he added. „This year has been a huge learning curve and I’m just enjoying it.“

NZ Extreme Sailing Team and Land Rover BAR Academy occupy fifth and sixth respectively.

Local wildcard Team Extreme México managed to retain a three-point buffer over US-flagged wildcard Lupe Tortilla Demetrio to finish seventh.

The penultimate day of the Act kicks off at 14:00 UTC-7 tomorrow, Saturday 2 December. The free-to-enter public Race Village, located on Médano Beach, is open from 10:00 local time. More information about the event, and the VIP packages that are available, can be found on the official event page.

Fans can follow the racing remotely via the live stream on the official Facebook and YouTube from 14:00 – 17:00 UTC-7 on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 December. The final 90 minutes of racing on Sunday will be broadcast live on TV channels across the globe, from 15:30 – 17:00 UTC-7.

Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 8, Los Cabos, presented by SAP standings after Day 2, 12 races (01.12.17)
Position / Team / Points
1st Alinghi (SUI) Arnaud Psarofaghis, Nicolas Charbonnier, Timothé Lapauw, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey 131 points.
2nd Oman Air (OMA) Phil Robertson, Pete Greenhalgh, James Wierzbowski, Ed Smyth, Nasser Al Mashari 125 points.
3rd SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Rasmus Køstner, Adam Minoprio, Mads Emil Stephensen, Pierluigi de Felice, Richard Mason 120 points.
4th Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans Peter Steinacher, Stewart Dodson, Adam Piggott, Will Tiller 106 points.
5th NZ Extreme Sailing Team (NZL) Graeme Sutherland, Josh Junior, Harry Hull, Andy Maloney, Josh Salthouse 101 points.
6th Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR) Rob Bunce, Giles Scott, Elliot Hanson, Sam Batten, Matt Brushwood 90 points.
7th Team Extreme México (MEX) Erik Brockmann, Chris Taylor, Alex Higby, Tom Buggy, Danel Belausteguigoitia Fierro, Armando Noriega Negrete 73 points.
8th Lupe Tortilla Demetrio (USA) John Tomko, Jonathan Atwood, Matthew Whitehead, Tripp Burd, Trevor Burd 70 points.

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Photos

Act 8, Los Cabos 2017 – day two – Team Extreme México

Local wildcard Team Extreme México managed to retain a three-point buffer over US-flagged wildcard Lupe Tortilla Demetrio to finish seventh.

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Act 8, Los Cabos 2017 – day two – Fleet

The international fleet battled in six races on the second day of Act 8, Los Cabos, presented by SAP.

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Act 8, Los Cabos 2017 – day two – Alinghi & SAP Extreme Sailing Team

Alinghi took the lead on the second day of racing in Los Cabos while SAP Extreme Sailing Team defended its spot on the podium behind Oman Air.

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Act 8, Los Cabos 2017 – day two – Oman Air

Oman Air took five podium finishes on the second day of racing in the brand-new Stadium Racing venue in Los Cabos, Mexico.

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Act 8, Los Cabos 2017 – day two – NZ Extreme Sailing Team

Emirates Team New Zealand America’s Cup champion Josh Junior was able to keep NZ Extreme Sailing Team ahead of Land Rover BAR Academy.

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Act 8, Los Cabos 2017 – day two – SAP Extreme Sailing Team

SAP Extreme Sailing Team finish day two on 120 points on the Act 8, Los Cabos, presented by SAP leaderboard.

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Act 8, Los Cabos 2017 – day two – Red Bull Sailing Team

Roman Hagara’s Red Bull Sailing Team jumped two positions on the Act 8 leaderboard after day two of racing.

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Act 8, Los Cabos 2017 – day two – Lupe Tortilla Demetrio

Lupe Tortilla Demetrio compete in their second ever Extreme Sailing Series™ Act in Los Cabos, Mexico, as one of two wildcard entries.

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Act 8, Los Cabos 2017 – day two – Land Rover BAR Academy

Helmed by Olympic gold medallist Giles Scott, Land Rover BAR Academy finished the second day of racing of Act 8, Los Cabos, in sixth position.

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Digital Media Exchange (DME)

Download all our digital content e.g photos, video, press releases etc at the Extreme Sailing Series Digital Media Exchange (DME) – Click here. You can also access it via the website www.extremesailingseries.com (click on ‚PRESS/TEAM‘).

If you have any problems registering or if you can’t find the content you are looking for, please email dme@ocsport.com.

Notes to Editors:

2017 Extreme Sailing Series™ dates and venues
Act 1, Muscat, Oman – 8 – 11 March
Act 2, Qingdao, China – 28 April – 1 May
Act 3, Madeira Islands, Portugal – 29 June – 2 July
Act 4, Barcelona, Spain – 20 – 23 July
Act 5, Hamburg, Germany, presented by Land Rover – 10 – 13 August
Act 6, Cardiff, UK – 25 – 28 August
Act 7, San Diego, USA – 19 – 22 October
Act 8, Los Cabos, Mexico, presented by SAP – 30 November – 3 December

Extreme Sailing Series™

Established in 2007, the Extreme Sailing Series is the original ’stadium-style‘ racing circuit designed for spectators, delivering high-performance action close to shore, attracting some of the world’s best sailors racing hydro-foiling GC32 catamarans on short courses around the globe. The Extreme Sailing Series™ also delivers a unique and bespoke VIP experience, putting guests on board the boats during the races, right at the heart of the action. Fans around the world follow the action via the free live online streaming and the live TV coverage.

2017 sees the Series continue to develop its global media reach and enhance its TV product with new distribution partner IMG and new host broadcaster Red Handed. IMG, the world’s largest distributor of sports programmes, leads the distribution strategy ensuring that the Series engages not only with fans onsite, but also with those following around the world. With a renewed focus on creating quality content for both a digital and traditional media world, Red Handed provides coverage of the event through digital features, live coverage and an eight-part TV series distributed to broadcasters worldwide, offering an attractive proposition to the circuit’s partners. For more information about our partners click here.

Continuing to innovate and diversify the on-water action, the Flying Phantom Series has been added to the foiling line-up at the European Acts of the 2017 Extreme Sailing Series, providing a developmental pathway for multihull sailors and broadening the offering to fans, media and commercial partners.

The Extreme Sailing Series has been granted „Special Event Status“ by World Sailing, the sport’s governing body, and is a strong supporter of promoting sailing in to new markets and to new audiences.

For more information, email media@extremesailingseries.com.

Extreme Sailing Series™ media contact

Eugenia Manzanas de las Heras

Extreme Sailing Series™ PR Director

Email: eugenia.manzanas@ocsport.com

Mobile: +44 (0) 7764 688882

22/10/17

SAP Extreme Sailing Team triumphs in San Diego

stand-off to extend overall Extreme Sailing Series™ lead

It was déjà vu for SAP Extreme Sailing Team and Alinghi as it went down to the final double-points race to decide the winner of the penultimate Act of the 2017 Extreme Sailing Series™ in San Diego, but the Danes held their nerve to walk away the champions.

With tensions running high and teams pushing hard, there were two collisions within the final two races. As SAP Extreme Sailing Team and Alinghi fought for pole position, a simultaneous battle for third raged between Oman Air and Red Bull Sailing Team. But the Omani syndicate fell foul of a penalty and watched Red Bull Sailing Team sail its way onto the podium.

„We’re stoked. It was great to finish the double-points race with an impressive win and it sealed the week for us,“ said SAP Extreme Sailing Team helm Adam Minoprio, who sailed alongside Rasmus Køstner, Pierluigi de Felice, Mads Emil Stephensen and Richard Mason, with Jes Gram-Hansen as coach.

„The last three days we’ve sailed well. Today we had a few hiccups. We put a bit of pressure on ourselves but an eight-point lead going into the final race is a good lead and it all ended well,“ added Minoprio, whose team has a five-point lead overall heading into the final Act.

Although the chance of defending its 2016 Series title is now slimmer, Swiss-flagged Alinghi – currently in third in the overall standings – has made gains on Oman Air for second and is now only one point behind.

„Unfortunately, we couldn’t catch up with SAP Extreme Sailing Team but we had a great battle with them on the water, so congratulations to them. We are really looking forward to Los Cabos; it’s going to be even trickier there but we still have a hand on the trophy so it’s going to be a fun one,“ said co-skipper and helm of the Swiss syndicate Arnaud Psarofaghis.

Red Bull Sailing Team chipped away at Oman Air from the off, finishing ahead in the opening four races and going into the final double-points race tied on points. The Austrian squad took its chance as Oman Air was delivered a penalty and left Phil Robertson and his men for dust. Red Bull Sailing Team remains in fourth in the overall standings.

„We’re obviously a little bit disappointed to slip off the podium but it’s yacht racing,“ said Oman Air skipper Phil Robertson, whose team was awarded the Zhik Speed Machine Trophy for hitting the top speed of the Act at 29.3 knots, an insight provided by SAP.

„We didn’t sail very well, and probably haven’t throughout the Act to be honest, so we’ve got some big steps to make for Los Cabos. It’s a double-points event so anything can happen,“ he added.

NZ Extreme Sailing Team helm Josh Junior showed moments of brilliance, twice leading in a race before being overtaken within the final few legs. The Kiwi squad finished the Act in fifth and remains in fifth in the Series overall.

An unfortunate issue with the boat meant that Land Rover BAR Academy was unable to compete in the opening two races. Re-joining the fleet in race 22, the British syndicate – which was helmed by four-time Olympic gold-medallist Sir Ben Ainslie – failed to find its form of the opening day. It finished the Act in sixth and remains in sixth in the season standings.

The two US-flagged wildcards, Team Extreme San Diego and Lupe Tortilla Demetrio, took seventh and eighth on the Act leaderboard respectively. Texan entry Lupe Tortilla Demetrio will return to compete in the final stage of the season in less than six weeks‘ time.

„It was so much fun sailing with this group of people in this fantastic venue all week. We made some efforts and some small strides and we started to get better but I guess we reached our peak, or at least I did personally,“ said Morgan Larson, skipper of Team Extreme San Diego and a former Series champion.

„All in all, it’s always a fun experience sailing on the Extreme Sailing Series, it’s a great competition. Hats off to SAP Extreme Sailing Team, they were three steps ahead of everybody and I think it will be hard work for anyone to catch them for sure,“ he added.

French kiteboarder Axel Mazella stormed to victory in the inaugural Extreme San Diego Kiteboarding Invitational, with nine wins from 13 races. The first runner up was Britain’s Oliver Bridge. USA’s Johnny Heineken rounded off the podium.

The international fleet will reconvene in Los Cabos, from 30 November – 3 December, for the double-points final Act of the 2017 season, presented by SAP. Racing will take place in front of the Breathless Cabo San Lucas Resort. Visit the official website for more information.

2017 Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 7, San Diego, standings after day 4, 25 races (22.10.17)
Position / Team / Points
1st SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Rasmus Køstner, Adam Minoprio, Mads Emil Stephensen, Pierluigi de Felice, Richard Mason 273 points.
2nd Alinghi (SUI) Arnaud Psarofaghis, Nicolas Charbonnier, Timothé Lapauw, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey 263 points.
3rd Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans Peter Steinacher, Stewart Dodson, Adam Piggott, Will Tiller 239 points.
4th Oman Air (OMA) Phil Robertson, Pete Greenhalgh, James Wierzbowski, Ed Smyth, Nasser Al Mashari 233 points.
5th NZ Extreme Sailing Team (NZL) Graeme Sutherland, Josh Junior, Harry Hull, Andy Maloney, Josh Salthouse 212 points.
6th Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR) Rob Bunce, Ben Ainslie, Oli Greber, Adam Kay, Will Alloway 201 points.
7th Team Extreme San Diego (USA) Morgan Larson, Andrew Campbell, Matt Cassidy, Mike Kuschner, Cooper Dressler 198 points.
8th Lupe Tortilla Demetrio (USA) John Tomko, Jonathan Atwood, Matthew Whitehead, Tripp Burd, Trevor Burd 152 points.

2017 Extreme Sailing Series™ overall standings
Position / Team / Points
1st SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) 78 points.
2nd Oman Air (OMA) 73 points.
3rd Alinghi (SUI) 72 points.
4th Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) 66 points.
5th NZ Extreme Sailing Team (NZL) 56 points.
6th Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR) 54 points.

Extreme San Diego Kiteboarding Invitational, standings after day 4, 13 races (21.10.17)
Position / Athlete / Points
1st Axel Mazella (FRA) 15 points.
2nd Oliver Bridge (GBR) 32 points.
3rd Johnny Heineken (USA) 42 points.
4th Joey Pasquali (USA) 49 points.
5th Riley Gibbs 49.3 points.
6th Nico Landaur (URU) 61 points.
7th Julien Kernuer (FRA) 67 points.
8th Toni Vodisek (SLO) 75 point.
9th Florian Gruber (GER) 77 points.
10th Will Cyr (USA) 100 points.
11th Kai Calder (USA) 104 points.
12th Daniela Moroz (USA) 109 points.
13th Bryan Lake (USA) 125 points.
14th Ty Reed (USA) 150 points.
15th Stefaans Viljoen (RSA) 176 points.