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COOLANGATTA,
Australia (Monday, Mar. 5, 2007) – Chelsea Hedges, 23, has won the first
event on the 2007 ASP Women’s World Tour, the Roxy Pro Gold Coast presented
by Samsung, at what amounts to her home break of Snapper Rocks in Coolangatta,
Australia today. 
Hedges
(formerly Georgeson) moved to Coolangatta from Avoca Beach in Sydney two years
ago and has moved to ASP World No. 1 with her win today. The
2005 ASP Women’s World Champion defeated prodigious Roxy Pro Wildcard Carissa
Moore (HAW), 14, the youngest finalist in ASP elite-tour history. 
“It’s
a pretty amazing feeling,” Hedges said. “I really wanted to win here
because I’ve never won at Snapper before and my family was on the beach too
so I’m pretty amped. I was waiting for Carissa to grab a bomb (set wave)
and score a 9.0 or something but luckily for me she didn’t.”
Hedges
has moved to World No. 1 with the win. 
“Even
though I wasn’t really thinking about the ratings, with Carissa coming in
second (NB: Carissa is not an ASP World Tour rated surfer) it puts me a great
position for the start of the year and now I’m looking forward to heading
down to Bells Beach the next event.” Hedges had to overcome
the world’s brightest up-and-coming talent to make the event final today.
She defeated uber-rookie Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) in the Quarterfinals and second-year
surfer Silvana Lima (BRA) in the Semifinal before meeting Moore. 
“It’s always difficult when you draw a dark horse or any of the
younger girls because they surf so crazy these days, they have so much drive,”
Hedges said. “Steph has beaten me out here before and today I got her back
so it was really good for my confidence because I have a lot of respect for her.
Silvana has been on fire for the whole contest but luckily in my heat she couldn’t
pull it off. Carissa is a great surfer and the next few years are going to be
unbelievable for her.”
Moore,
who after winning the Roxy Pro Trials was surfing in her first-ever ASP Women’s
World Tour event, posted 9.33 single wave scores in her Round 3, Quarterfinal
and Semifinal heats but only managed a 6.70 two-wave total in the final against
Hedges. “I was just excited to be out there,” Moore
said. “I was a little nervous, but just excited. I’m totally stoked
with the turn out and I’m just really happy for Chelsea (Hedges) - she did
awesome. Just being able to surf out at Snapper with some of the best girls in
the world, it was just really nice." 
Honing
her competitive edge in various trials and junior events, Moore took out seven-time
ASP World Champion Layne Beachley (AUS), veteran competitor and former World No.
2 Megan Abubo (HAW) and 2005 ASP Rookie of the Year Rebecca Woods (AUS) en route
to the final. | 
