- Wildcards Are Set: Kirra Pinkerton, Nat Young, Michael Dunphy to Compete Alongside World’s Best
- Jeep Brand Confirmed as Event Title Partner and Official North American Vehicle of the WSL
- Watch Live from June 18 – 20 on WorldSurfLeague.com
The fight for the Final 5 is on as the world’s best surfers head to Lemoore, California for Stop No. 6 on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), the Jeep Surf Ranch Pro, which runs from June 18 – 20, 2021. After an explosive two months in Australia, the CT returns to the US for the most unique event of the season, a three-day showdown in perfect waves that will put surfing’s elite to the test.
Carissa Moore (HAW) and Gabriel Medina (BRA), who both sit in first place on the WSL Leaderboard, will look to continue their dominance in order to secure a place at the Rip Curl WSL Finals at Lower Trestles in September.
Moore has a firm grip on the Final 5 thanks to a strong and consistent opening half of the season. The reigning four-time WSL Champion has finished in third place or better at every event this year, including a win in Newcastle, putting her over 7,000 points ahead of World No. 2 Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS). Moore also has a strong record at the Surf Ranch, winning the event in 2018 finishing third in 2019.
Medina started his season by making the Finals at the opening stop in Hawaii and went on to make another three Finals during the Australian leg, winning at Newcastle and Rottnest. The two-time World Champion has an 8,000 point lead on the WSL Leaderboard over his closest rival and compatriot, Italo Ferreira (BRA). Medina is a favorite heading into this event having won the past two CT contests at the Surf Ranch.
The event takes place at the Surf Ranch, which is located more than 100 miles from the ocean in Lemoore, California, and the contest is the only CT stop to feature a leaderboard format. The Jeep Surf Ranch Pro will be broadcast live on WorldSurfLeague.com from June 18 – 20 2021. Check local listings for coverage from the WSL’s broadcast partners.
Event wildcards
Kirra Pinkerton (USA), the 2018 World Junior Champion and no. 1 ranked surfer on the North America Qualifying Series (QS) rankings, will join the women’s competition as the event wildcard. Michael Dunphy (USA) and former CT surfer Nat Young (USA) are the wildcards for the men’s event, and are currently in first and second place respectively on the North America QS rankings.
Jeep joins as title partner of the event
The Jeep brand is the title partner of the upcoming Surf Ranch CT event as well as coming on board as the official North American Vehicle of the WSL. The Jeep brand will activate at the Jeep Surf Ranch Pro where onsite guests will be able to learn more about the new Jeep Wrangler 4xe and the Grand Cherokee. The Jeep brand will be present across all of WSL’s major North America events including the Jeep Surf Ranch Pro, Corona Open Mexico presented by Quiksilver, and the Rip Curl WSL Finals and are also a partner of We Are One Ocean, WSL’s campaign to protect and conserve the global ocean.
The Ultimate Surfer
The Surf Ranch is the home of “The Ultimate Surfer”, ABC’s new summer series which premieres in the US on Monday, August 23, and Tuesday, August 24, 2021 at 10pm ET and PT. 14 surfers, seven men and seven women, will live and train together as they battle it out at the Surf Ranch for the chance to be crowned “The Ultimate Surfer” and a wildcard to compete on the CT.
The Jeep Surf Ranch Pro is proudly supported by Jeep, Michelob Ultra Pure Gold, Red Bull, Shiseido, Hydro Flask, Oakley, Havaianas, Expedia, lululemon, and Waterloo.
Current WSL Women’s Championship Tour Final 5:
1 – Carissa Moore (HAW) 36,055 pts
2 – Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 28,185 pts
3 – Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 27,540 pts
4 – Tyler Wright (AUS) 26,050 pts
5 – Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 24,645 pts
5 – Johanne Defay (FRA) 24,645 pts
Current WSL Men’s Championship Tour Final 5:
1 – Gabriel Medina (BRA) 38,920 pts
2 – Italo Ferreira (BRA) 30,325 pts
3 – Jordy Smith (ZAF) 22,505 pts
4 – Filipe Toledo (BRA) 22,065 pts
5 – Morgan Cibilic (AUS) 21,290 pts
COVID-19 Updates
The health and safety of our athletes, staff and the local community are a top priority for the WSL and there are a robust set of procedures in place to keep everyone safe including closing the event to general admission fans.
About the WSL
Established in 1976, the World Surf League (WSL) is the home of the world’s best surfing.
A global sports, media and entertainment company, the WSL oversees international tours and competitions, a studios division creating over 500+ hours of live and on-demand content, and via affiliate WaveCo, the home of the world’s largest high performance, human-made wave. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, the WSL has regional offices in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and EMEA.
The WSL annually crowns the men’s and women’s surfing World Champions. The global Tours and Competition division oversees and operates more than 180 global contests each year across the Championship Tour, the development tiers, including the Challenger, Qualifying and Junior Series, as well as longboard and big wave properties.
Launched in 2019, WSL Studios is an independent producer of unscripted television projects, including documentaries and series, which provide unprecedented access to athletes, events, and locations around the world. WSL events and content are distributed on linear television in over 743M+ homes worldwide and across digital and social media platforms around the world, including WorldSurfLeague.com.
WaveCo includes the Surf Ranch Lemoore facility and the utilizing and licensing of the Kelly Slater Wave System.
The WSL is dedicated to changing the world through the inspirational power of surfing by creating authentic events, experiences, and storytelling to inspire a growing, global community to live with purpose, originality, and stoke.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
Jeep Brand
Built on 80 years of legendary heritage, Jeep is the authentic SUV with capability, craftsmanship and versatility for people who seek extraordinary journeys. The Jeep brand delivers an open invitation to live life to the fullest by offering a full line of vehicles that continue to provide owners with a sense of security to handle any journey with confidence. To coincide with the launch of the all-new 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L, the Jeep brand is launching the Jeep Wave™ premium owner loyalty program in Canada. Jeep Wave will provide benefits and exclusive perks to deliver owners the utmost care and dedicated support.
The Jeep vehicle lineup consists of the Cherokee, Compass, Gladiator, Grand Cherokee, Renegade and Wrangler. To meet consumer demand around the world, all Jeep models sold outside North America are available in both left- and right-hand drive configurations and with gasoline and diesel powertrain options. Jeep is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.
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