Outteridge qualifies for SailGP’s $1 million grand finale

By BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer

Team Japan skipper Nathan Outteridge clinched the third and final spot in SailGP’s $1 million, winner-take-all Season 2 championship race with a strong performance on the opening day of the Mubadala United States Grand Prix on San Francisco Bay. Outteridge had finishes of sixth, second and first aboard his fast, foiling 50-foot catamaran to join defending champion Tom Slingsby of Australia and Jimmy Spithill of Team USA in Sunday’s grand finale of tech tycoon Larry Ellison’s global league. The three Australian skippers need to keep their boats intact in Sunday’s two fleet races that precede the $1 million race.