ASP Women’s WQS Results and 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour Qualifiers

COOLANGATTA, Australia (Thursday, Nov. 15, 2007) – Yesterday’s completion of the women’s Reef Hawaiian Pro in Haleiwa, Hawaii, the 16th and final ASP Women’s World Qualifying Series (WQS) event of 2007, cemented the position of seven surfers on the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour.

While only six surfers qualify for the elite tour via the WQS, it is not uncommon for surfers to contest both tours and double qualify. Current ASP Women’s World Tour No. 1 and 2007 Women’s WQS No. 2 Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) is the perfect example. The World Tour rookie is currently in contention for her maiden world title and will have no qualms requalifying for 2008 via the ASP Women’s World Tour, thus the next woman in line on the WQS, in this instance Hawaii’s Melanie Bartels, will earn the vacant WQS berth.

WQS Guaranteed Top 6 for 2008*
1. Jacqueline Silva (BRA)
2. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) –mathematically guaranteed to qualify via the ASP Women’s World Tour too.
3. Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS)
4. Megan Abubo (HAW)
5. Melanie Redman-Carr (AUS)
6. Karina Petroni (USA)
*7. Melanie Bartels (HAW) – qualified due to double qualification of Stephanie Gilmore

ASP Women’s World Tour Double Qualifiers not needing WQS rating (definite)
Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) – ASP Women’s World Tour No. 1 and ASP WQS No. 2

The Top 10 surfers on the ASP Women’s World Tour requalify the following year. The following Top 6 ASP Women’s World Tour surfers have accumulated enough points to requalify regardless of how they fare in the last two events of the season, the Roxy Pro Sunset and the Billabong Pro Maui:

ASP Women’s World Tour Top 6 Safe for 2008 Requalification
1. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
2. Silvana Lima (BRA)
3. Sofia Mulanovich (PER)
4. Chelsea Hedges (AUS)
5. Layne Beachley (AUS)
6. Samantha Cornish (AUS)

At this juncture, current World No. 7 Amee Donohoe (AUS), World No. 8 Rebecca Woods (AUS), World No. 9 Jessi Miley- Dyer (AUS) and World No. 10 Jacqueline Silva (BRA) sit inside the Top 10 qualification cutoff. Miley-Dyer and Silva finished 3rd and 1st on the WQS respectively and are currently double qualifying and assured of elite tour berths via their Top 6 WQS finishes. Miley-Dyer and Silva’s current double-qualification bumps the WQS qualification cut-off point down two more spots to encompass 8th and 9th place finishers Donohoe and Woods, who at present, sit 7th and 8th on the ASP Women’s World Tour and would thus double qualify themselves.

Inside ASP Women’s World Tour Top 10 but not guaranteed for 2008
7. Amee Donohoe (AUS)
8. Rebecca Woods (AUS)

Inside ASP Women’s World Tour Top 10 but safe for 2008 requalification by WQS Rating only
9. Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) – WQS No. 3
10. Jacqueline Silva (BRA) – WQS No. 1

Subsequently, Australians Serena Brooke and Nicola Atherton, who finished 10th and 11th on the ASP Women’s WQS respectively, would qualify for the 2008 elite tour if all were said and done today. However, with the last two ASP Women’s World Tour events of the season, the Roxy Pro Sunset and the Billabong Pro Maui still to come, Brooke and Atherton will have to wait and see whether elite tour ratings stragglers Rosey Hodge (ZAF), Claire Bevilaqua (AUS), Caroline Sarran (FRA) or Rochelle Ballard (HAW) jump Miley-Dyer, Silva, Donohoe or Woods on the ratings, to see whether they qualify or not.

WQS Top 8 Down who will qualify if WQS Top 7 requalify via ASP Women’s World Tour
8. Amee Donohoe (AUS)
9. Rebecca Woods (AUS)
10. Serena Brooke (AUS)
11. Nicola Atherton (AUS)

Silva, who is also an eight year veteran on the elite tour, finished 1st in the WQS to assure her presence amongst the elite again in 2008. Silva was also the 2001 Women’s WQS No. 1 and World Title runner-up in 2002. She earned the 2007 top spot by winning the 6-Star Drug Aware Pro presented by O’Neill in Margaret River, Australia and the 5-Star Rip Curl Boardmaster’s event in Newquay, England, in addition to finishing 2nd in the 5-Star Midori Pro in Newcastle, Australia, 5th in the 6-Star Honda US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, Calif. and 9th in the final event of the year in Haleiwa, Hawaii yesterday.

At present, California’s Karina Petroni (USA) is the only assured rookie on the ’08 elite tour roster. Her final berth in the Reef Hawaiian Pro saw her jump from 8th to 6th on the WQS ratings to assure her berth. If Atherton qualifies, 2008 will be her rookie season as well.

Megan Abubo (HAW), who won the Reef Hawaiian Pro yesterday, jumped from 11th to 4th on the WQS ratings with the victory at her homebreak. Abubo, a 14th year pro and former World No. 2, was in jeopardy of not qualfying for the 2008 elite tour before the win. Fellow Hawaiian Bartels jumped from 16th to 7th on the WQS ratings after making it to the Semifinals at Haleiwa. She is now assured an ’08 berth too.

The 17th and final berth on the ASP Women’s World Tour is given to a wildcard as voted on by the surfers themselves.

Past ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) No. 1’s
2007 Jacqueline Silva (Brazil)
2006 Jessi Miley-Dyer (Australia)
2005 Rebecca Woods (Australia)
2004 Chelsea Georgeson (Australia)
2003 Melanie Bartels (Hawaii)
2002 Pauline Menczer (Australia)
2001 Jacqueline Silva (Brazil)
2000 Maria "Tita" Tavares (Brazil)
1999 Melanie Redman-Carr (Australia)
1998 Serena Brooke (Australia)
1997 Rochelle Ballard (Hawaii)