HUNTINGTON BEACH, California (Sunday, October 19, 2008)  Gabe Kling (St. Augustine, FL), 28, Nathan Yeomans (San Clemente, CA), 27, and Brett Simpson (Huntington Beach, FL), 23, each earned equal fifth place finishes in Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-Star events this week. Kling's standout performance at the La Santa Surf Pro, an ASP WQS 6-Star Prime event in the Canary Islands, launched him from No. 15 to No. 9 on the ratings, while Yeomans' result nets him the No. 24 spot. Simpson competed on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in the Meresia Surf International in Brazil, where his performance sets him in the No. 23 position.

Action is heating up as the ASP WQS season is slowly coming to a close. All top competitors are attempting to solidify their slot for the 2009 ASP Dream Tour, while other standout ASP WQS warriors sitting just outside the qualification bubble are trying to make an end of the season push to find their way into next year's top 45.

Kling's result allowed him to drop a significantly lower score in his score line, launching the talented Floridian within the top 10 on the ASP WQS for the first time this year. The Quarterfinals berth earned by Kling in Europe significantly increases his chances at qualification for the 2009 ASP World Tour. Kling, who was a member of the ASP World Tour in 2007, had a potential taste of things to come when he competed in the Quiksilver Pro France last month and has been a standout on the ASP WQS since his appearance in the elite event.

The WQS can get kind of monotonous, Kling said. Surfing similar beachbreaks week in week out against the same people - so getting to surf a World Tour event with the best surfers and no pressure was great! Even though the waves were a lot like the QS it was still a great reminder of where I want to be. It definitely helps to see those guys surf in person and it was a really fun week.
 
Kling was in the bottom half of the top 100 on the ASP WQS at the halfway point in the season and has been climbing the ladder since his notable performance at the Honda U.S. Open. Kling used the momentum built up throughout the second half of the season in the La Santa Surf Pro to top current ASP World Tour campaigner Jay Thompson (Burleigh Heads, AUS), 26, and ASP WQS No. 5 David Weare (La Lucia, ZAF), 28, on the way to the Quarterfinals. The explosive regular-footer claims he constantly changes his approach throughout the year and the changes he's made throughout this year have moved him in a positive direction.

"It has been such a long, weird year for me that I think my approach to the contests has changed quite a few times throughout the year," Kling said. "Every time I lose I try to learn something and change my approach a bit or at least work some head games on myself to get siked for the next one."
 
Despite Kling's current top 10 position, the former ASP World Tour surfer has not had an ideal season. Kling struggled through injuries and illness throughout the first half of the year and is looking to finish his season on a much more positive note.

"There have been more contests then ever on the QS and there are still a few more which is wild," Kling said. "Getting pneumonia in Western Australia feels like it was years ago now. I am just really stoked to still be in the hunt after all that and I'm going all out and hoping for the best.
 
Yeomans' fifth place finish in the La Santa Surf Pro did not help his cause as much as it did for Kling, but he is still well within striking distance of a highly desired top fifteen position on the grind before year's end. Yeomans topped current ASP World Tour surfer Leonardo Neves (Saquarema, BRA), 28, on the way to his fifth place result.

While many of the top ASP WQS surfers were in Europe, there was also an important ASP 6-Star event running in Brazil. Simpson was the top performer for Americans in that event, taking home a fifth place finish against the Brazilian entourage at the Mereisa Surf International in Itajai, Brazil. Simpson eliminated dream tour surfer Jihad Khodr (Curitiba City, BRA), 24, with a near-perfect 9.33 out of 10 point score with a good barrel-ride to eliminate the powerful Brazilian.

"I was lucky to get a good barrel and a high score at the beginning of the heat, then I got another good wave and the other guys couldn't find too much," Simpson said.

Simpson is also in contention for a slot on next year's world tour and is looking to find his way into a qualifying position in the few events remaining this year.

"I'm trying not to think too much about it, but this has always been my major goal in recent years," Simpson said. "I have been very close a few times and now I am going with everything and with all of my energy in the final events of the year."

This week will be another action packed week on the ASP WQS, with three contests running simultaneously. There will be the ASP WQS 4-Star O'Neill Cold Water Classic in Santa Cruz, California, while two 6-Stars, the Estoril Coast Pro in Carcavelos, Portugal and the Onbongo Pro Surfing in Ubatuba, Brazil will also offer up valuable ratings points for ASP WQS surfers.

To access the events' LIVE webcasts or for other ASP related info, log on to www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org

ASP WQS Top 20:

Curran,Nathaniel USA 1 13200
Davidson,Chris AUS 2 12525
Boal,Tim FRA 3 11888
Courtney,Drew AUS 4 11600
Weare,David ZAF 5 11450
Gudauskas,Patrick USA 6 11438
Kerr,Josh AUS 7 11325
Emslie,Greg ZAF 8 11188
Kling,Gabe USA 9 11163
MacDonald,Phillip AUS 10 11075
Muscroft,Nic AUS 10 11075
Lipke,Marlon DEU 12 10950
Bourez,Michel PYF 13 10900
Barca,Dustin HAW 14 10826
Pires,Tiago PRT 15 10750
Nicol,Yadin AUS 16 10675
Khodr,Jihad BRA 17 10575
Romao,Simao BRA 18 10500
Bettero,Hizunome BRA 19 10375
Henrique,Pedro BRA 20 10263