George Pittar. photo: Biatriz Ryder//WSL
You probably don’t have to look far for a surf fan who’s happy knowing this year’s Margaret River Pro marks the last mid-season cut. In the past four seasons, its list of casualties has included high-profile names like Kelly Slater, Owen Wright, Kolohe Andino, and Conner Coffin. Wilson and Slater rode off into the sunset after Margs. Kolohe still dons a Challenger Series jersey occasionally. Conner Coffin gave the re-qualification route a shot but ultimately hung them up a few events into his second year on the CS.
You can’t really argue that the cut doesn’t make the Championship Tour more competitive. It does. But just that short list of athletes forced into retirement/quasi-retirement is proof that the cut reshaped the world tour in ways fans couldn’t stand, and ultimately, that’s bad for business. This year’s cut line bubble won’t bring the same oomph in terms of name value but that won’t make it any less impactful for any athlete who can’t jump above that coveted 22nd spot. With that in mind, here are five names within 2,000 points of each other right at the cut line — a gap that can be closed between a win and a loss in the Round of 32 (1,330 points for an equal 17th and 3,320 for an equal 9th).
20. Matthew McGillivray
Matthew McGillivray. Photo: Beatriz Ryder//WSL
Nobody’s ever really safe from the cut until they’re safe from the cut. Matthew McGillivray tumbled into the bubble on the Gold Coast because of an Elimination Round in which he caught 11 waves but still went home early. That’s a gut punch for a guy who nearly collected his first CT win just a month earlier. McGillivray’s also made two Margaret River semifinals, so he should be a favorite to do enough this week to avoid the cut.
21-23: The 3-Way Tie
Alan Cleland, João Chianca, and Liam O’Brien start off in West Oz with a three-way tie in the rankings. What makes it really consequential is that tie straddles the cut line — from the number 21 ranking to the number 23 spot. Now, let’s pretend everything else on the rankings board stays the same just for the sake of figuring out who will be the odd-man out with the mid-season cut.
According to the WSL rule book, a wildcard could be given to the surfer ranked number 23 if one is available. That’s an easy call for the league if just one tied surfer sits below the cut line, which is the case now. If, however, somebody leapfrogged them all and we were left with a tie that puts two surfers on the short end of the rankings stick, the rule book states that “the results from their best counting Regular Season CT Events in that Surfing Season will be considered, counting back to their best counting Regular Season CT Event to attempt to break the tie. If one surfer betters the other as this is applied, the tie is broken, and that surfer will take the 22 spot.”
If all this still doesn’t break the three-way tie, then “the Surfer with the higher total number of heat wins (excluding Elimination Rounds) at the Regular Season CT Events in that Surfing Season will fill the 22 spot and the lower ranked surfer will not re-qualify; provided, however, that if there is still a tie, the Surfer with the higher average heat score from that surfing season will fill the 22 spot and the lower ranked surfer will not re-qualify.”
Expect all three of these guys to throw the kitchen sink at their opening round heats. João has world title contender talent. Alan Cleland has been one of the most fun surfers to watch in heavy surf recently. O’Brien had the hometown crowd absolutely psyching last week on the Gold Coast and he put on a great show. Losing any one of these guys from the CT would be tough.
Liam O’Brien. Photo: Aaron Hughes//WSL
24. George Pittar
Like McGillivray, the Australian (by way of Vanuatu) rookie George Pittar suffered one of the biggest drops in the rankings on the Gold Coast.
He can write a great story at Margs though, if he calls on some of the magic he displayed in West Oz last year. Before Pittar had qualified for the CT, he was given a wildcard (and his first CT action) at Bells and again just weeks later at Margs. His Margaret River Pro performance was one of the greatest highlights of the event, sending John John Florence to the elimination round, then picking off Cole Houshmand and Liam O’Brien on his way to the quarterfinal. There, he met then-world number one Griffin Colapinto and had the yellow jersey in a combo with a 9.50 and a 7.33. Another run like that would make for a great storyline this next week.
