Fred Hemmings, retired from competition as a surfer, began his career as an event promoter and ran the Smirnoff World Pro-Am Surfing Championships between 1969 and 1977.[1]
The Smirnoff World Pro-Am became known as the de facto professional World Championship because the International Surfing Federation had been unable to establish a format or sponsorship, so no official amateur championships were held between 1973 and 1975.[2] Laura Lee Ching became the first woman to compete in the Smirnoff World Pro-Am in 1973.[3][4]
| Year | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 |  Corky Carroll (USA) | Margo Godfrey (USA) |
| 1970 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Nat Young (AUS) | |
| 1971 |  Gavin Rudolph (RSA) | |
| 1972 | Paul Neilsen (AUS) | |
| 1973 | Ian Cairns (AUS) | |
| 1974 |  Reno Abellira (HAW) | |
| 1975 | Mark Richards (AUS) | |
| 1976 | Mark Warren (AUS) | Jericho Poppler (USA) |
| 1977 | Reno Abellira (HAW) | Jericho Poppler (USA) |
The Smirnoff World Pro-Am Surfing Championships were superseded by the International Professional Surfers (IPS).
References
- ↑ The Encyclopedia of Surfing, Matt Warshaw, p. 548 (accessed 27 April 2011)
- ↑ The Encyclopedia of Surfing, Matt Warshaw, p. 548 (accessed 27 April 2011)
- ↑ "Laura Ching". Thesuperstars.org. 1950-12-25. Retrieved 2015-06-18.
- ↑ "'Superstar' Laura Ching Posed Nude For Magazine". Sarasota Journal. Sarasota. December 20, 1974. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- ↑ The Encyclopedia of Surfing, Matt Warshaw, p. 548 (accessed 27 April 2011)
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