Kiwi surfer earns spot on World Tour

Kiwi surfer Ricardo Christie has earned a spot on the prestigious World Surfing tour. Photo / Damien Poullett

Kiwi surfer Ricardo Christie has earned a spot on the prestigious World Surfing tour.

He's the first New Zealand male since Maz Quinn to qualify for the ASP World tour which has been renamed the World Surfing League.

It was a nervous wait for confirmation for Christie as he awaited results from the Billabong Pipe Masters event in Hawaii.

He had to rely results going his way, the most significant being that of Alejo Muinz from Brazil who was the only surfer remaining that could knock Christie from the qualification criteria.

However Australian Adrian Buchan ended Muinz's run in the quarterfinals.

26-year-old Christie had to wait an agonising 16 days between the time he last competed in Hawaii until today to get confirmation of his tour card.

"It has been the longest two weeks of my life" said an emotional Christie. "It is really hard to have the outcome out of your hands for that long, it has been overwhelming to be honest"

Christie will now work towards his first event next year at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast, "It has been a long road, but I am stoked to be at that next level and now I have to start again and get ready for a big year in 2015."