Winner, winner, Jack and Molly are buying dinner. Photo: Tony Heff//World Surf League
A day of dreamy conditions at the Sunset Beach Pro (at a wave known mostly for its unpredictability) culminated in an Aussie sweep – Molly Picklum and Jack Robinson took gigantic wins at the Championship Tour’s second stop. Picklum’s trophy catapults her atop the women’s ranking and she’ll now don the yellow jersey heading into the next stop in Portugal. Robinson leapfrogs into second on the men’s tour, while John John Florence’s quarterfinal finish moves him atop the leaderboard.
If anyone was questioning if women’s surfing would continue its mercurial rise post Carissa and Steph – and their combined 13 world titles – the next generation has swiftly erased any doubt whatsoever regarding the subject. Picklum followed her runner up at Pipeline with another on-point display.
A single moment will stick out on this day from Sunset Beach, and perhaps in the video library of women’s surfing forever: the confident Aussie’s one-maneuver closeout turn in the semifinals where she tagged the lip, completed a free fall, and successfully outran the powerful, crashing wave in what commentator Kaipo Guerrero claimed was possibly the best-ever maneuver by a woman at Sunset. That got her a near-perfect 9.67 score and a ticket to the final. Her claim gained her an infinite number of social media followers with its perfect mix of emotion and bravado.
Picklum was able to manufacture a score of 11.83 in the final to earn her second consecutive win at Sunset. She bested Bettylou Sakura Johnson, who despite having a heat-high 7.17 single-wave score, was never able to find the 4.66 backup to take the lead.
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The main takeaway from an absolutely crisp day of surfing? The women’s game has never been as exciting to watch as what we’ve witnessed during these first two events. Picklum summed it up in her post-win interview: “The women’s level at Sunset right now is incredible.” That could be said for the surfing in general. A tube fest at Pipeline followed by rail work on the Sunset canvas had me glued to the women’s draw. And it’s the up-and-comers leading the charge. Five of the eight women quarter finalists were 24 or younger, and Caity Simmers and Sakura Johnson are still teenagers. The future has never been this bright.
And, oh yeah, the men’s side. Since his quarterfinal heat, Robinson was locked into a power zone that proved unstoppable. He toppled Italo Ferreira in the quarterfinals with a 9.77 score, backdooring the peak into a gaping Sunset tube. Robinson then defeated Ryan Callinan in the semifinal with a pair of excellent-range eights, saving his best for the final against Kanoa Igarashi.
Jack and Sunset Beach, they got a thing going on. Mr. Robinson was mostly on the best waves all day long. Photo: Brent Bielmann//World Surf League
Robinson’s event-best 9.87 came in the final after he linked an extremely committed rail carve with a double barrel on the inside. Two of the judges even thought it was a 10. The 9.87 coupled with an 8.17 put Igarashi in combo. He never broke it, despite having two respectable scores in the seven range. It’s the sixth win for Robinson in his still-young career and his first since becoming a father in December, which he described as a particularly special moment for him and his family during the post-heat chat.
The previous tour leader, Simmers, who took the win at Pipe (that you heard about, lest living beneath a stone), now sits in second behind Picklum. Simmers seemed to be the surfer to beat coming into Sunset, but inexperience showed its nasty noggin in her quarterfinal against Brisa Hennessy. Simmers sat on the outside for most of the heat waiting for a wave that never came, scoring a two on a ride she knew wouldn’t cut it. Meanwhile, under priority, Hennessy was nabbing respectable waves further inside to build a heat total of 11.67 and move through to the semis. With Portugal as the next stop, where things can get tubular, don’t be surprised if Simmers redeems herself.
The turn heard round the surfing world, and beyond. Photo: Tony Heff//World Surf League
After a disappointing 17th at Pipeline, Igarashi looked sharper at Sunset, bouncing back with his runner up finish. He’s now sixth in the men’s ranking, reasserting himself in the race for title contention after an uncharacteristic 14th to end his 2023. Likewise, Jordy Smith’s third place at Sunset puts him into fourth in the men’s ranking. Coming off a finish of 16th in 2023, Smith showed that at 36, he still can hang with (and even push) the best in the world.
The 2023 Championship Tour could be forgotten for its subpar wave conditions (or remembered). Suffice it to say, the epic start to 2024 is a breath of fresh sea air. Pipe and Sunset both provided solid, dare we say, entertaining conditions. We’ll see if the streak continues at Supertubos when things resume March 6.
For full results, feel free to click through the brackets, here.
