Owen Wright, who no doubt will be a regular in the ASP’s top 10 rankings sooner than later, knocked out Kelly Slater this morning in the second round of the Rip Curl Pro Search in Portugal.  With Slater out of contention for the world title, interest in pro surfing has been relegated to hibernation season, with fans possibly waking up briefly in December to catch the Billabong Pipeline Masters.

Slater said he will compete in Pipe.  Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether or not Slater will try for a 10th World Title in 2010.

Congrats to Joel Parkinson/Mick Fanning for winning the 2009 ASP World Championship.