Carissa Moore, Molly Picklum and Caity Simmers Set Up a 2026 Pipe Masters Showdown
Picklum leads Moore by 545 points, while Simmers needs a major result at Pipe. A 15,000-point finale puts all three champions in contention.
Three former world champions will arrive at the North Shore with the 2026 women’s title still up for grabs. Molly Picklum leads Carissa Moore by just 545 points, while Caity Simmers has a larger gap to close and the biggest single-event prize of the season in front of her. With 15,000 points available at the Lexus Pipe Masters, the finale has room for a tight duel at the top and a late charge from third.
Moore’s return to the Championship Tour was framed as a chance to see the world with her young family and finish her career on her own terms. A run of heat and event wins has changed the stakes. The five-time world champion, back after retirement and now competing after the birth of her daughter, is within one strong result of Picklum. Her surfing has been sharp all season, and the source of her renewed motivation is close at hand: her daughter has brought fresh inspiration, as well as plenty of entertainment, to the tour.
That makes Moore’s bid for a sixth world title more than a sentimental comeback story. She has been a contender throughout the year and stands second on 53,150 points. The margin to Picklum is small enough that a single heat could reshape their positions, depending on how each performs in the final event. Moore knows what it takes to win the title; now she has a chance to add another one after returning on her own terms.
Picklum has the lead and a Pipe record
Picklum enters the finale first with 53,695 points. She took control of the standings by winning the Rip Curl Pro Portugal, where she beat Simmers in the final. The Australian is pursuing consecutive world titles and has already shown she can produce a defining performance at Pipeline: in 2024, she became the first woman to post a perfect 10 there.
That history gives Picklum a useful reference point, but it doesn’t make the closing event predictable. Pipeline demands a different kind of performance from a season-long points chase. Picklum’s lead is only 545 points, so she has little room to treat the finale as a formality. The same wave that offers her a chance to reinforce her claim can also give Moore the opening she needs.
Here’s the thing about a compressed title race: the standings establish the pressure, but the event decides how that pressure gets handled. Picklum has the advantage going in, and her Pipeline record shows she can produce a standout result there. Moore, meanwhile, has been in the title mix throughout her return. Each knows the path to the trophy is still within reach, but their small points gap means every heat carries consequences.
Simmers needs the biggest finish
Simmers is third on 49,610 points, 4,085 behind defending champion Picklum. That is a steep deficit, though the 15,000-point winner’s prize keeps her mathematically alive. Her clearest route is demanding: she likely needs to win the Pipe Masters and have both surfers ahead of her lose ground early.
There’s reason for Simmers to believe she can make the event matter. She won the inaugural Philippines Pro at Cloud 9, arriving at the season’s final stretch with a major result behind her. She also has a previous Pipe victory. Those achievements don’t erase the points gap, but they give her relevant evidence: she can win at the venue and has momentum after a recent event win.
The challenge is that Simmers has less control over her fate than Picklum and Moore. Even a strong performance may not be enough unless the leaders also falter. That leaves her needing to combine a result of her own with favorable outcomes elsewhere in the draw. It is a narrow route, but the oversized points allocation means the season is not closed before the first heat.
A finale with real stakes
The Lexus Pipe Masters runs December 8–20, with 15,000 points for the winner—50 percent more than a standard Championship Tour event. That weighting is what gives this final stop its force. Picklum and Moore are separated by a margin small enough for a single heat to shift the title picture, while Simmers has enough available points to remain in contention if the event breaks her way.
For fans, the appeal is in the distinct pressures facing each surfer. Picklum must defend a narrow lead. Moore has turned a return intended as a family-centered final chapter into a serious run at another world title. Simmers has the steepest climb, but can draw on a recent win and her experience at Pipe. Three champions, one of surfing’s most recognizable waves and a season’s ambition all meet in December.
The deciding question is not simply who can produce the best moment at Pipeline. It is who can turn that moment into enough points, while managing the pressure of a title that may change hands heat by heat. Picklum starts ahead, Moore is close enough to take advantage, and Simmers still has a route. The spray may settle the season, but the standings won’t settle until the finale is done.
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