2009 World Tour Picture Clears Up

Nathanil Curran at the 2008 US Open of Surfing – cr. Covered Images

With one event left in the ASP World Tour season it’s starting to become clear who will be back on tour in 2009 and who will be left on the outside looking in.

Every year, the top 27 rated surfers at the end of the World Tour season are automatically qualified for the next year.   On top of that, the top 15 rated WQS surfers who are not already qualified for the tour are given spots as well.  That leaves up to three wildcards for ASP World Tour surfers who missed the cut for whatever reason.

On the women’s side, the process is about the same, but the numbers smaller.  Only the top 10 women get an automatic qualification, while six are brought over from the WQS and one wildcard granted.

For the men, those currently ranked in the top 21 should be set for their ’09 position (Bruce Irons, now ranked #22, is retiring after the season).  That leaves six spots up for grabs with surfers like Damien Hobgood, Chris Ward and Roy Powers on the bubble.  What is guaranteed is that just about everyone ranked in the 30s and above are out of the running, barring a spectacular turn of events in Hawaii.

As far as WQS surfers who will be making the switch, they include points leader Nathaniel Curran, as well as Chris Davidson, Gabe Kling, Josh Kerr, Tim Boal and Drew Courtney.

The second-to-last event of the WQS season starts on Nov. 12 with the Reef Hawaiian Pro.  The picture should clear up a little bit after that contest. For more about the current rankings, check out the ASP World Tour site.