LOS ANGELES, California/USA (Wednesday, November 15, 2016) - The world's best female surfers are heading to the Hawaiian island paradise of Maui to contest the final event of the 2016 Samsung Galaxy World Surf League (WSL) Women's Championship Tour (CT), the Maui Women's Pro, holding a competition window of November 23 to December 5, 2016.
The event returned to the schedule in 2014 for the first time since 2009 and has been the season-ender on the elite women's tour ever since. Newly crowned 2016 WSL Champion Tyler Wright (AUS) will lead the field into the fourth edition of the Maui Women's Pro. The young Australian claimed the coveted world surfing crown with a runner-up finish at the Roxy Pro France following a sensational 2016 season that saw her claim four event wins (Gold Coast, Margaret River, Rio de Janeiro and Lower Trestles). Wright will surf in Heat 3 of Round 1 where she will take on Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) and the trials winner.
Defending event winner and three-time WSL Champion Carissa Moore (HAW) will be one to watch in Maui. With two event wins under her belt (2014, 2015), Moore will look to defend her title and claim a third consecutive victory at Honolua Bay in front of a home crowd. Moore will face Laura Enever (AUS) and Lakey Peterson (USA) in Round 1 Heat 5.
A one heat trials event will decide the wildcard into the Maui Women's Pro. The trials will take place on the first day of competition prior to Round 1 and will see four surfers contest for a place into the main event alongside the WSL Top 17. The four trialists are Mahina Maeda (HAW), the highest ranked Hawaiian surfer on the Qualifying Series, Brisa Hennesy (HAW), the Hawaiian Pro Junior Champion, Summer Macedo (HAW), the highest ranked Maui surfer on the QS, and Bethany Hamilton (HAW). Should Hamilton win the trails she will earn her eighth appearance in a Championship Tour event and her third this season.
The Maui Women's Pro is also the final opportunity CT surfers to qualify for next season's elite tour and the event will witness the battle for requalification. The 2017 WSL Top 17 will be comprised of:
- the Top 10 finishers on the 2016 Championship Tour (CT)
- the Top 6 finishers on the 2016 Qualifying Series (QS)
- one WSL wildcard
The Maui Women's Pro will be webcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com as well as the WSL app.
The event is also being carried by the WSL's LIVE broadcast partners Fox Sports Australia, CBS Sports in the United States, ESPN Brasil, Globosat, Edgesport, Sky NZ, Sport TV, Canal + Deportes, Channel Nine, MCS, Starhub, and Oceanic Time Warner Cable 250 & 1250 in Hawaii.
For more information, check out WorldSurfLeague.com
Maui Women's Pro Round 1 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Johanne Defay (FRA), Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Keely Andrew (AUS)
Heat 2: Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW), Sage Erickson (USA), Alessa Quizon (HAW)
Heat 3: Tyler Wright (AUS), Bianca Buitendag (ZAF), TBD
Heat 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA), Nikki Van Dijk (AUS), Chelsea Tuach (BRB)
Heat 5: Carissa Moore (HAW), Laura Enever (AUS), Lakey Peterson (USA)
Heat 6: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Malia Manuel (HAW), Coco Ho (HAW)