Former world champ Sally Fitzgibbons and Olympic medallist Owen Wright were among the high-profile casualties of the new rule last year,while world No.1 and rising Australian starMolly Picklum also fell victim to the format change,re-qualifying for the Tour via the second-tier Challenger Series.
The rule’s introduction was met with criticism from some of the world’s best surfers.
A petitionsigned by 30 WSL competitors calling for it to be reconsidered was dismissed by the governing body before a robust Q and A session ahead of last year’s Ripcurl Pro at Bells Beach saw the same discussions played out in person.
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The mid-year cut will take place again after April’s Margaret River Pro,raising the same cut-throat scenario at Bells and the WA event where Fitzgibbons was among several surfers to break down at being relegated.
Logan pointed to that drama and competitive intrigue as the key driver in what the WSL claims was a “35 per cent rise in consumption” of content around last year’s Bells event,but said fans and competitors can expect tweaks to be made next year.
“We want to get through this year before we make any seismic changes,” Logan told theHerald from California.