So the 2009 ASP World Tour has finished with Australian Mick Fanning taking the title, his Dad is Irish so some of us in Europe can celebrate a bit! The tour takes a few months off now and the 2010 season will start with the  Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast from February 27 – March 10, 2010.

So who made it to next years tour? Unfortunately it has been a very dissapointing year for European surfers. Only 2 of the top 45 next year will be from Europe; Tiago Pires from Ericera and Jeremy Flores who resides in Capbreton. 

Marlon Lipke from Lagos, Aritz Aranburu from Zarautz and Miky Picon & Tim Boal from South West France all did not re-qualify and will have to battle it out in the WQS next year.

The top 45 are picked from the Top 27 surfers from the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Top 15 from the 2009 ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) and three ASP wildcards, the 2010 ASP Top 45 are as follows:

ASP Top 27 (ASP World Tour)
Mick Fanning (AUS)
Joel Parkinson (AUS)
Bede Durbidge (AUS)
Taj Burrow (AUS)
Adriano de Souza (BRA)
Kelly Slater (USA)
C.J. Hobgood (USA)
Bobby Martinez (USA)
Damien Hobgood (USA)
Dane Reynolds (USA)
Jordy Smith (ZAF)
Taylor Knox (USA)
Tom Whitaker (AUS)
Kieren Perrow (AUS)
Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)
Dean Morrison (AUS)
Kai Otton (AUS)
Kekoa Bacalso (HAW)
Mick Campbell (AUS)
Chris Davidson (AUS)
Michel Bourez (PYF)
Ben Dunn (AUS)
Adrian Buchan (AUS)
Tiago Pires (PRT)
Jeremy Flores (FRA)
Roy Powers (HAW)
Drew Courtney (AUS)

Top 15 (ASP WQS)
Dan Ross (AUS)
Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
Jadson Andre (BRA)
Adam Melling (AUS)
Owen Wright (AUS)
Luke Munro (AUS)
Jay Thompson (AUS)
Nathan Yeomans (USA)
Dusty Payne (HAW)
Brett Simpson (USA)
Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Tanner Gudauskas (USA)
Travis Logie (ZAF)
Marco Polo (BRA)
Blake Thornton (AUS)

ASP Wildcards:
Andy Irons (HAW)
Luke Stedman (AUS)
Neco Padaratz (BRA)

Unfortunately Frenchman Joan Duru, despite being the winner of the European WQS, only managed 16th place and so did not make it this year.
The national breakdown for the 2010 ASP World Tour is:

Australian: 46.7%
American: 22.2%
Hawaiian: 11.1%
Brazilian: 8.9%
South African: 4.4%
French: 2.2%
Tahitian: 2.2%
Portuguese: 2.2%

What is interesting is how 2010 will pan out. The ASP Top 45 will be featured in the first five events of the 2010 ASP World Tour season before reducing the elite field down the top 32 surfers.

And of course there is Kelly Slater's Rebel Tour still being talked about. All we can say is its going to be a very exciting year...