No. 24 Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) had a decent year on the QS in 2014, including a second-place finish behind Kelly Slater (USA) at the Volcom Pipe Pro, which helped earn him a spot on the 2015 CT. Dantas got a taste of elite competition at the Fiji Pro in June. But like Banting's experience in France, he didn't make it far when the field was packed with CT surfers. He'll need to make it past Round 2 if he hopes to stay for more than one season. Don't miss the Faces of 2015: Wiggolly Dantas interview.
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Italo Ferreira (BRA) had a string of second-, third- and fifth-place finishes across the QS and Junior Tour. It will be interesting to see how the 20-year-old will do against the world's best in some of the bigger, hollower waves on the elite tour. The young Brazilian's air-game, however, is comparable to that of some of his fellow countrymen already on the CT, which should serve him well. Ferreira will start his season at No. 26.
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Hawaiian Keanu Asing's second-place finish at the Quiksilver Saquarema Prime and fifth-place finish at the Vans World Cup of Surfing helped earn him the 28th spot on the CT. At 21, Asing will be the youngest Hawaiian on tour this season. He'll face a different kind of pressure than what he's dealt with before, but his time spent on Oahu's North Shore is sure to come in handy at some of the heavier spots. Don't miss the Faces of 2015: Keanu Asing interview.
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Ranked No. 29, Dusty Payne's (HAW) miracle run at CT qualification during the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing was nothing short of legendary. Payne fell off the Tour at the end of 2013 and underwent knee surgery in the summer of 2014. His chances looked slim, but he believes falling off Tour actually helped. Finishing in first place at the Reef Hawaiian Pro and second place at the Vans World Cup of Surfing put him at No. 10 on the QS, just making the cut to re-qualify for the Championship Tour.
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Ricardo Christie will be the sole surfer from New Zealand on the men's 2015 Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour. He had an impressive performance at the Vans World Cup of Surfing, but his CT bid was contingent upon Jadson Andre's (BRA) double qualification. Andre was ranked No. 22 -- the cutoff for qualification -- on the CT rankings; if he had fallen lower during the Billabong Pipe Masters he would have used his QS spot, leaving Christie on the QS for 2015. Luck went the Kiwi's way this time, but at No. 32 he'll need more than that to extend his stay on the CT. Don't miss the Faces of 2015: Ricardo Christie interview.
Ricardo Christie will be the sole surfer from New Zealand on the men's 2015 Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour. He had an impressive performance at the Vans World Cup of Surfing, but his CT bid was contingent upon Jadson Andre's (BRA) double qualification. Andre was ranked No. 22 -- the cutoff for qualification -- on the CT rankings; if he had fallen lower during the Billabong Pipe Masters he would have used his QS spot, leaving Christie on the QS for 2015. Luck went the Kiwi's way this time, but at No. 32 he'll need more than that to extend his stay on the CT. Don't miss the Faces of 2015: Ricardo Christie interview.
New Faces of 2015
WSL
Matt Banting (AUS) won two Qualifying Series events in 2014, placing second overall behind Brazilian Filipe Toledo. Banting also won the Vans US Open Junior Pro at Huntington Beach and competed as a wildcard in the Quiksilver Pro France. At 20 years old, he'll make his debut on the Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour at number 23 in the rankings. Don't miss the Faces of 2015: Matt Banting interview.
No. 24 Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) had a decent year on the QS in 2014, including a second-place finish behind Kelly Slater (USA) at the Volcom Pipe Pro, which helped earn him a spot on the 2015 CT. Dantas got a taste of elite competition at the Fiji Pro in June. But like Banting's experience in France, he didn't make it far when the field was packed with CT surfers. He'll need to make it past Round 2 if he hopes to stay for more than one season. Don't miss the Faces of 2015: Wiggolly Dantas interview.
Italo Ferreira (BRA) had a string of second-, third- and fifth-place finishes across the QS and Junior Tour. It will be interesting to see how the 20-year-old will do against the world's best in some of the bigger, hollower waves on the elite tour. The young Brazilian's air-game, however, is comparable to that of some of his fellow countrymen already on the CT, which should serve him well. Ferreira will start his season at No. 26.
Hawaiian Keanu Asing's second-place finish at the Quiksilver Saquarema Prime and fifth-place finish at the Vans World Cup of Surfing helped earn him the 28th spot on the CT. At 21, Asing will be the youngest Hawaiian on tour this season. He'll face a different kind of pressure than what he's dealt with before, but his time spent on Oahu's North Shore is sure to come in handy at some of the heavier spots. Don't miss the Faces of 2015: Keanu Asing interview.
Ranked No. 29, Dusty Payne's (HAW) miracle run at CT qualification during the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing was nothing short of legendary. Payne fell off the Tour at the end of 2013 and underwent knee surgery in the summer of 2014. His chances looked slim, but he believes falling off Tour actually helped. Finishing in first place at the Reef Hawaiian Pro and second place at the Vans World Cup of Surfing put him at No. 10 on the QS, just making the cut to re-qualify for the Championship Tour.
Ricardo Christie will be the sole surfer from New Zealand on the men's 2015 Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour. He had an impressive performance at the Vans World Cup of Surfing, but his CT bid was contingent upon Jadson Andre's (BRA) double qualification. Andre was ranked No. 22 -- the cutoff for qualification -- on the CT rankings; if he had fallen lower during the Billabong Pipe Masters he would have used his QS spot, leaving Christie on the QS for 2015. Luck went the Kiwi's way this time, but at No. 32 he'll need more than that to extend his stay on the CT. Don't miss the Faces of 2015: Ricardo Christie interview.
On the women's side, Australian Stephanie Gilmore claimed her sixth World Title in 2014. Check out who will be battling it out on the Women's 2015 Championship Tour here.
Ricardo Christie will be the sole surfer from New Zealand on the men's 2015 Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour. He had an impressive performance at the Vans World Cup of Surfing, but his CT bid was contingent upon Jadson Andre's (BRA) double qualification. Andre was ranked No. 22 -- the cutoff for qualification -- on the CT rankings; if he had fallen lower during the Billabong Pipe Masters he would have used his QS spot, leaving Christie on the QS for 2015. Luck went the Kiwi's way this time, but at No. 32 he'll need more than that to extend his stay on the CT. Don't miss the Faces of 2015: Ricardo Christie interview.