Without an ASP Women's World Tour event in Hawaii this year, the ladies' season came to an end after the Nike US Open. The Women's World Title had already been locked up by Carissa Moore, at the Roxy Pro Biarritz in July, but with the end of the season, it has been announced that 17-year-old Tyler Wright, of Lennox Head, Australia, is the 2011 Rookie of the Year.
This result looked evident before the season even started. Wright won the Beachley Classic in 2008 and then turned all sorts of heads in Hawaii last winter, not only winning the O'Neill World Cup at Sunset, but also finishing right behind Stephanie Gilmore at the Vans Triple Crown Dual for the Jewel at Pipeline and charging all over the North Shore.
Wright was quick to identify Gilmore as her major influence, saying, "Steph (Gilmore) set such a high bench mark that of course it was going to inspire so many surfers like myself and many others to come and try to match it."
Wright is brother of Owen Wright, who has surfed extremely well on the Mens World Tour since his rookie season in 2010. In 2011, Tyler Wright made the finals at the Roxy Gold Coast Pro and the semifinals of the Subaru Pro TSB Bank Women's Surf Festival. She didn't get a result worse than equal fifth all season. She finished the year in the No. 4 slot.