Lower Trestles delivered a Finals Day worthy of the Championship Tour, with Erin Brooks and Miguel Pupo emerging as the 2026 Lexus Trestles Pro champions and dramatically shifting the World Title conversation.
For Brooks, the victory was another chapter in an extraordinary late-season surge. The 19-year-old has now won three consecutive Championship Tour events, becoming the first woman since Stephanie Gilmore in 2008 to achieve the feat.
For Pupo, the result was a reminder that experience still matters when the pressure is at its highest. The Brazilian veteran navigated a stacked men’s draw to claim his third CT victory, defeating Kanoa Igarashi in a high-scoring final.
Brooks Turns a Tough Season Around
Brooks arrived at Trestles carrying momentum, but her current position was hardly guaranteed earlier in the campaign.
The teenager has transformed her season through a run of difficult heats and increasingly confident performances. Her path to the title included victories over major opposition, including 2023 World Champion Caroline Marks, five-time World Champion Carissa Moore and reigning World Champion Molly Picklum.
Against Picklum in the semifinal, Brooks secured her place in another Final before facing current No. 1 Gabriela Bryan.
The final was close, but Brooks found enough to finish with a 13.00 heat total, edging Bryan’s 11.90 and completing a remarkable third straight CT victory.
“The first part of the year was like such a bummer, but this makes it worth it.”
The result moved Brooks to No. 5 in the rankings and transformed her from a promising young competitor into a genuine factor in the World Title race.
Her run also places her alongside one of surfing’s most decorated athletes. Gilmore was the last woman to win three consecutive CT events in 2008.
Pupo Brings Experience to the Big Stage
The men’s draw produced its own dramatic storyline, with Southern California local Kanoa Igarashi looking increasingly comfortable at the wave he grew up surfing.
Igarashi dominated his quarterfinal against Marco Mignot, producing an 8.00 and a 15.67 heat total. He then eliminated defending event winner and reigning World Champion Yago Dora in the semifinals.
But standing between Igarashi and his first victory of the season was Miguel Pupo.
Pupo had already battled through Mateus Herdy and Cole Houshmand before reaching the Final. His combination of experience, timing and composure proved decisive when the pressure peaked.
Pupo ultimately claimed the Trestles crown, while Igarashi settled for second.
For Igarashi, the week nevertheless reinforced how comfortable he remains at Lower Trestles.
“I’d just paddle out and just trusted the waves, and trusted myself.”
That familiarity helped him produce some of the event’s strongest surfing, but Pupo’s relentless run carried him all the way to the top of the podium.
The Rankings Tighten
Trestles has significantly reshaped the Championship Tour picture.
Bryan’s quarterfinal performance against Luana Silva produced a huge 16.26 heat total, helping her regain the Yellow Leaders Jersey before Brooks ended her run.
On the men’s side, Italy’s Leo Fioravanti leaves California sitting second in the rankings, while 2019 World Champion Italo Ferreira occupies third.
Griffin Colapinto remains sixth, Igarashi moves forward from seventh, and Jack Robinson sits 14th. João Chianca is 19th after losing time earlier in the season through injury.
Meanwhile, several surfers—including Jordy Smith, Eli Hanneman and Tya Zebrowski—will miss upcoming events before returning for the season-ending action at Pipeline.
Portugal Is Next
With Trestles complete, the Championship Tour now heads into its European leg.
The MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented by Corona Cero begins October 16 at the famous Supertubos in Peniche, where another round of the World Title battle awaits.
Caroline Marks returns as defending champion, while Italo Ferreira will look to improve on his runner-up finish from last year.
But after what happened at Lower Trestles, the biggest question is whether Brooks can keep her extraordinary winning streak alive—and whether Pupo’s return to the top can carry into the next stage of the season.
The road to the World Title has just become a whole lot more interesting.
