Molly Picklum hasn’t led the Championship Tour rankings at any point this year, but if she beats Caity Simmers in the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal final, she’ll jump to the top.
In a short day of competition at Supertubos, Picklum defeated Lakey Peterson and Caity Simmers defeated Bettylou Sakura Johnson, setting the stage for a final matchup that we’ve seen before at Teahupo’o, Pipeline, and Abu Dhabi. Picklum got the better of Simmers in two of those three finals. Neither surfer has won an event this year, so Portugal will be the first for one of them.
Even though Picklum is the defending world champion, she’s flown under the radar this season. Carissa Moore’s performance as a mother, surprise performances by Luana Silva, and Erin Brooks’ three wins in a row have dominated the storylines.
But Picklum has amassed solid results to remain near the top of the rankings. You won’t be able to ignore her shot at a title if she wins at Supertubos and becomes the title favorite. Even if she doesn’t win, a runner-up finish will still leave her less than 400 points behind the leader, Moore, with two events remaining in the Philippines and Hawaii.
Picklum has made a final at Pipeline, but she’s never won the event. With the new-look WSL format that rewards those who can surf the famous North Shore reef with 1.5 times the points — and a tight title race — it’s looking like the world championship will come down to Pipe.
But if the 23-year-old Australian wants to make it two world titles in a row, she’ll need to get an event win, or two, to stay atop the rankings. She’s got the chance to do that in Portugal.
