LOCAL Jeffreys Bay and World Qualifying Series (WQS) surfer, Matt McGillivray (22), is primed to qualify for the elite 2020 World Surf League’s (WSL) Championship Tour (CT).
This follows after he secured a third place at the recent Hawaiian Pro 10 000 tournament.
McGillivray had the weight of qualification on his shoulders, as a win would have officially gained him his first year on the CT.
But he surfed with casual confidence and found a barrel in the final to lock in a 5.83 – his highest score of the heat. He took on a veteran field in the semi-finals and eliminated two-time Hawaiian Pro winner Michel Bourez (PYF) and eleven-time World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) en route to the final.
Stealthily stacking the results, McGillivray is in a strong position heading into the Vans World Cup, where his best result was a quarter-final finish in 2018.??
With this result, McGillivray moves into the top ten on the QS at number 6, jumping eight slots up the rankings. The top 10 surfers qualify for the Championship Tour, if they have not already secured their place by requalifying on the CT.
McGillivray will be looking forward to the Vans World Cup Of Surfing at Sunset Beach. He is always a standout at this venue, and it will be the final event of the year for him to bank one more good result, and to secure his berth on the Championship Tour for next year.
Once his qualification has been made official, McGillivray will be joining fellow South African surfer, Jordy Smith, on the elite Championship Tour of Surfing.
