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 | 
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The Smirnoff World Pro-Am Surfing Championships were superseded by the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)