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 | |||
| 1970 | |||
| 1971 | |||
| 1972 | |||
| 1973 | |||
| 1974 | |||
| 1975 | |||
| 1976 | |||
| 1977 |
The Smirnoff World Pro-Am Surfing Championships were superseded by the International Professional Surfers (IPS).