Sally Fitzgibbons may have lost to Courtney Conlogue in their Quarterfinal heat at Swatch Pro, but by the end of the event it was Fitzgibbons who came out on top. She has moved up to World No. 1 on the Jeep Leaderboard, and will take the Jeep Leaders' yellow jersey from Tyler Wright as they head into the Tour's European leg.
While the World Title intentions of other competitors has been widely covered -- from Conlogue's two years running as runner-up to Wright's decision to go all-in in 2016 -- Fitzgibbons is something of a sleeper pick this season, quietly working her way up to contention. In the past, her intentions to win a Title were loud and clear. Fitzgibbons, too, knows what No. 2 feels like, three times over. By the end of 2016, though, it looked like her chance might have slipped by. She finished the season at World No. 8, the lowest of her career.
This season, though, the Australian powerhouse was back in form, and sharper than ever. She worked her way to a win in Margaret River, and has a number of Semifinal finishes, too, that sent her, quietly, to No. 2 heading into Trestles. This time around, her ascent to No. 1 was a shadow effort that paid off. When the women's Tour kicks off next at the Cascais Women's Pro, she'll be clad in well-earned yellow.