Hawaiian Triple Crown

The Largest Surfing Encyclopedia

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For almost 10 months each year, the shorepound pundits reign supreme in surfing. Aside from the odd Tahitian freak show or 50-year swell Down Under, surfers are tested solely by paddle battles and hopping through the flats at Huntington.

Come November, everything changes. Chop-hops are forgotten, butt-wiggles become meaningless and real men rise from the ashes. While it doesn't offer the most money or points, the Hawaiian Triple Crown showcases what surfing has always been about -- man against the sea.

It is fitting that the birthplace of surfing provides the culmination for the world tour. Aside from a few judgment errors that shifted the climax to Australia in the '80s and early '90s, pro surfing has wound up its season on Hawaii's North Shore.

Since 1983, three Hawaiian events have combined to form the Triple Crown of Surfing. While the names have changed over the seasons, the venues have more or less remained the same -- Haleiwa, Sunset Beach and Pipeline. Currently, only Pipe carries World Championship Tour status while the others are merely qualifiers.

Instituted by Fred Hemmings, as the ASP replaced the IPS as the governing body of professional surfing, the Triple Crown rewards the top point-getter over the three events. Only eight men have claimed the crown in its 17-year tenure, and all but six of those years the champ hailed from Hawaii. Sunny Garcia, the current champion, has five crowns, while Derek Ho has four and Gray Elkerton, Kelly Slater and Michael Ho each have two. One-time winners include Tom Carroll, Kaipo Jaquias and Mike Rommelse. The women's Triple Crown, in place since 1997, belonged to Australia's Layne Beachley for three seasons before South African Heather Clark earned it in 2000.

The Hawaiian events, while not always playing a vital role in determining the world champion, invariably decide the fate of many a career. More than that, they separate the men from the boys and maintain the rich tradition of surfing as a sport that has been a part of Hawaiian culture for centuries. -- Jason Borte, February 2001

Past Winners
1983 Michael Ho
1984 Derek Ho
1985 Michael Ho
1986 Derek Ho
1987 Gary Elkerton
1988 Derek Ho
1989 Gary Elkerton
1990 Derek Ho
1991 Tom Carroll
1992 Sunny Garcia
1993 Sunny Garcia
1994 Sunny Garcia
1995 Kelly Slater
1996 Kaipo Jaquias
1997 Mike Rommelse
1998 Kelly Slater
1999 Sunny Garcia
2000 Sunny Garcia

Women's Champion
1997 Layne Beachley
1998 Layne Beachley
1999 Layne Beachley
2000 Heather Clark

Click here to find all Hawaiian Triple Crown photos and editorial on Surfline.