Surfing: Kibblewhite sitting in best spot

It's do-or-die in the penultimate round of the Hyundai Tour at Mount Maunganui today, with the field of Open Men's Division surfers set to chase ratings leader Thomas Kibblewhite.

The Aucklander has led the Hyundai Tour from the outset after winning the first event at Raglan in January.

He then went on to win the Hyundai National Championships at Piha before placing third at the most recent event at Sandy Bay where he was the highest placed Kiwi in the international field of surfers.

A win this weekend would see him only required to enter the water and finish in last place at the final event of the year at Port Waikato for the Auckland surfer to take out the tour for the first time.

Favouring his opponents this weekend is the small swell forecast for the Bay of Plenty which potentially evens up the field and allows some of the small wave exponents to set their footwork free.

Kibblewhite's closest opponent is 2010 Hyundai Tour champion Dylan Barnfield. The Ohope surfer has had an indifferent year .

In order for Barnfield to win the tour and the trip to Australia to compete in an international event, he needs to finish several places higher than Kibblewhite at each of the last two events.

Mangawhai surfer Matt Cockayne is in the same situation trailing Barnfield by 17 points on the rankings and only just in touch with Kibblewhite but still a chance of claiming his first event Tour title.

The biggest field of the year for female surfers enters the water this weekend with several international competitors giving the event a go. The title race is much closer for the girls with any of the top 10 surfers mathematically in with a chance of claiming the Tour. However it is Mischa Davis (Piha) who leads the pack after winning the first event and placing third and fifth in the last two events. Davis is closely followed by Anna Jolly (Piha), Alexis Poulter (Rag) and Sasha Brownlie (Auck) with those four surfers having a jump on the rest of the pack.

The burgeoning field of stand-up paddleboarders will have to sit back and watch the two-horse race between defending champion Daniel Kereopa (Rag) and Shayne Baxter (Chch). Baxter has played bridesmaid to Kereopa for the past two years. Out of three events in 2012, it is 2-1 to Kereopa with Baxter claiming the most prestigious event - the national championships. A win this weekend by Baxter will set up an epic clash for the final event of the year.

Baxter is also part of a leading pack of paddlers in the King of the Waves Paddle Race where he is ranked third equal. Raglan paddler Armie Armstrong will go into this weekend's event wearing the red jersey as the ratings leader with Jeremy Stephenson (Auck) in white as runner up.

Action takes place at Tay Street from 8am to 4pm today and tomorrow.

Top five rated surfers

Hyundai Tour Open Men's Division:

1) Thomas Kibblewhite (Auck)

2) Dylan Barnfield (Ohope)

3) Matt Cockayne (Mngwhai)

4) Zen Wallis (Piha)

5) Ant McColl (Mnt)

Hyundai Tour Open Women's

1) Mischa Davis (Oratia)

2) Anna Jolly (Piha)

3) Alexis Poulter (Rag)

4) Sasha Brownlie (Auck)

5) Belinda Goodwin (Mt)