For the first time in professional surfing's history, women will compete in their own G-Shock Triple Crown of Surfing this winter on the North Shore of O`ahu.

Kahlua, the women's blanket sponsor for the ASP World Championship Tour, has put up $7,500 in prize money which will be awarded to the most successful female competitor in the three-pronged Hawaiian circuit. "Women's surfing is obviously on the upswing, and we're pleased to oblige them with their very own Triple Crown," said Triple Crown executive director Randy Rarick.

The inaugural event will be the Op Women's Pro at Haleiwa from Nov. 12 to Nov. 23. Held just west of the Haleiwa harbor at Ali'i Beach Park, the 3-star World Qualifying Series (WQS) Op Women's Pro will showcase the world's best female surfers at a wave that Rarick calls "the best spectator venue in the Triple Crown." This is the second consecutive year that Op is holding a women's event at Haleiwa. Last year Australian powerhouse Layne Beachley proved her dominance in large surf by winning both the Op Pro and the Roxy event at Sunset Beach. This year, Beachley continues to up the ante after some amazing rides in 10-foot surf at the G-Shock U.S. Open in Huntington Beach.