After an afternoon of heartfelt charges at the cutline, the women's Surf Ranch Pro event rankings finished the way it started.
Carissa Moore continued to control the top spot, while Lakey Peterson, rookie Caroline Marks, and current World No. 1 Stephanie Gilmore rounded out the top four heading into Finals.
The three-time World Champion from Honolulu continued to perform as expected, earning an 8.33, the highest score of the day for the Women's Surf Ranch Pro. Moore decided to take to the air, giving us a preview for what's to come in the finals.
"To be in the mix and be able to perform on Finals day is a big deal," said Moore. "I've had another shaky season, so it's nice to be up there. I know we have a clean slate and I've got a lot more work to do."
Uncharacteristically, the three-time World Champ hasn't won an event this year, but now has a chance to play spoiler in the Title race between Gilmore and Peterson.
"The biggest challenge might be myself. I don't want to get my mind in the way of tomorrow and get too stressed," said Peterson. "I'm not too worried about what the other girls are doing, really. It's me versus me, so I think as long as I get my head right then that's all I can do. I've got more to give than than what I've already done, so I'm hoping tomorrow I just get my chance."
Lakey Peterson - WSL / Kelly Cestari
Alongside Moore, Peterson remains one of the most progressive surfers on the women's Tour and is capable of taking to the air to drop big scores. She can also significantly narrow the gap between herself and Gilmore in the World Title race with a top result.
This fact alone gave Gilmore reason for concern. Styling her way to her scores this week through her classic graceful approach, she acknowledged it's going to take something special to come away from Lemoore with a victory.
"It feels great, I love what I do here, but I know I have to step it up," said Gilmore. "Tomorrow's a new day. It's an equal playing field for everybody. I'm going to have to bring my A game to see if I can get a win."
Stephanie Gilmore - WSL / Kelly Cestari
And then there's the kid of the group. Sixteen-year-old Marks has been attacking both the left and the right at the Surf Ranch with power and conviction-a combination that has certainly pleased the judges. Despite her age and the icons of the sport that she'll face in the final tomorrow, Marks remained confident and undaunted.
"I do feel like I can win this event, for sure. I've got so much left in the tank. It's going to be really exciting," said Marks. "I always want more…more, more, more! I was sitting around all day, and I'm a grom, I'm always running around. I think if I can keep my composure tomorrow I have a really good chance."
CBS Sports Network will air the Surf Ranch Pro on Sunday, September 9th at 3:00pm ET/12:00pm PT. Fans can watch on their local CBS Sports platform, click here for full schedule information. During this time, spectators will see the top men and women competing LIVE for the first WSL Champions Tour win at the Surf Ranch.
The action kicks off tomorrow at 8:30 am PDT. Watch live on Worldsurfleague.com, App and Facebook.
Gilmore: "Tomorrow's a New Day"
Jake Howard
After an afternoon of heartfelt charges at the cutline, the women's Surf Ranch Pro event rankings finished the way it started.
Carissa Moore continued to control the top spot, while Lakey Peterson, rookie Caroline Marks, and current World No. 1 Stephanie Gilmore rounded out the top four heading into Finals.
"To be in the mix and be able to perform on Finals day is a big deal," said Moore. "I've had another shaky season, so it's nice to be up there. I know we have a clean slate and I've got a lot more work to do."
Uncharacteristically, the three-time World Champ hasn't won an event this year, but now has a chance to play spoiler in the Title race between Gilmore and Peterson.
"The biggest challenge might be myself. I don't want to get my mind in the way of tomorrow and get too stressed," said Peterson. "I'm not too worried about what the other girls are doing, really. It's me versus me, so I think as long as I get my head right then that's all I can do. I've got more to give than than what I've already done, so I'm hoping tomorrow I just get my chance."
Alongside Moore, Peterson remains one of the most progressive surfers on the women's Tour and is capable of taking to the air to drop big scores. She can also significantly narrow the gap between herself and Gilmore in the World Title race with a top result.
This fact alone gave Gilmore reason for concern. Styling her way to her scores this week through her classic graceful approach, she acknowledged it's going to take something special to come away from Lemoore with a victory.
"It feels great, I love what I do here, but I know I have to step it up," said Gilmore. "Tomorrow's a new day. It's an equal playing field for everybody. I'm going to have to bring my A game to see if I can get a win."
And then there's the kid of the group. Sixteen-year-old Marks has been attacking both the left and the right at the Surf Ranch with power and conviction-a combination that has certainly pleased the judges. Despite her age and the icons of the sport that she'll face in the final tomorrow, Marks remained confident and undaunted.
"I do feel like I can win this event, for sure. I've got so much left in the tank. It's going to be really exciting," said Marks. "I always want more…more, more, more! I was sitting around all day, and I'm a grom, I'm always running around. I think if I can keep my composure tomorrow I have a really good chance."
CBS Sports Network will air the Surf Ranch Pro on Sunday, September 9th at 3:00pm ET/12:00pm PT. Fans can watch on their local CBS Sports platform, click here for full schedule information. During this time, spectators will see the top men and women competing LIVE for the first WSL Champions Tour win at the Surf Ranch.
The action kicks off tomorrow at 8:30 am PDT. Watch live on Worldsurfleague.com, App and Facebook.
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