The Billabong Challenge was a limited-entry surfing competition that ran from 1995 to 1998, created as an alternative to the larger world championship contests. It came about through the ideas of Billabong’s founder, Gordon Merchant, filmmaker Jack McCoy, and former champion Wayne Bartholomew. According to what McCoy told Surfing Life magazine, "Gordon was frustrated with top surfers competing in less-than-ideal cond…