WSL revamps CT format, right-point waves reshape early standings
The World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) opened the season after a seven-month offseason with a slate of format changes that reshaped early standings. The league removed the Final 5, reinstated cumulative points, eliminated the mid-season cut and non‑elimination rounds, added a new New Zealand venue and introduced bonus points for the Pipeline finale. Four early events across Australia and New Zealand followed, and those rule changes produced a start weighted toward right-point waves that affected the initial rankings and heat outcomes. On the men’s tour, Brazilian goofy‑footers Italo Ferreira, Miguel Pupo, Gabriel Medina and Yago Dora led the standings after the Oceania events. George Pittar won at Margaret River, while several regular‑footed contenders — including Kanoa Igarashi, Jack Robinson and Jordy Smith — underperformed early in the season. On the women’s side, Lakey Peterson, Stephanie Gilmore and Carissa Moore won the three most recent events, and 20‑year‑old Sawyer Lindblad moved into the top five following a final and a semifinal. The tour is scheduled next to the Punta Roca stop in El Salvador, then Brazil. Equipment and shaper trends tracked closely with results. Surfboard Empire’s CT Shaper Rankings presented by Veia showed Lost retook the lead from DHD after the Oceania swing, holding a 9,140‑point advantage; Marcio Zouvi’s Sharp Eye moved into third, leapfrogging Channel Islands. Individual surfer‑board links also stood out. Carissa Moore recorded her first CT win of the season at Raglan riding a Lost board, and both women’s Raglan finalists rode boards sporting Mayhem decals. Italo Ferreira won on an IF15 model shaped by Simon Jones, a PU build made at the request of his coach Leandro Dora; that same IF15 assisted Timmy Patterson to a win. Matt Biolos remained prominent after three consecutive CT Shaper of the Year titles and a Stab in the Dark All‑Stars win. Lost’s large points cushion positioned the brand as the early favorite for upcoming South American events, with surfers Griffin, Yago, Carissa, Gabriela and Caroline noted as typically strong in those conditions.
