JEFFREYS Bay top professional surfer, Matt McGillivray, finished runner-up at the Tweed Coast Pro, event one of the Australian Grand Slam of Surfing.
McGillivray was on a roll in the competition, eliminating highly rated surfers like Mikey Wright and Jack Robinson along the way, before eventually succumbing to Ethan Ewing in the final.
Having travelled to Australia to compete in the opening events of the Championship Tour before they were cancelled, McGillivray decided to hang around down under in case events were called back on. Eventually, there were no flights home and he was stuck in Australia – which ended up paying off as he found himself with a spot in Australian Grand Slam of Surfing.
McGillivray made the most of his opportunity, making it all the way to the final, his second runner-up place to Ewing Ewing on Australia’s East Coast.
“I’m overwhelmed to make the finals here,” McGillivray said. “It’s been a great event and to surf against Ewing was special because we have met in a final before and he beat me last time as well, so I’ll have to try and get one back on him soon.
“It was a big decision for me to stay on here and I miss my family and friends back in South Africa, but I look forward to getting back there soon. Although it’s been tough, the decision was made worth it with getting a spot in the Australian Grand Slam of Surfing and has been a good decision for my career.”
All eyes will now be focused on the forecast for the Boost Mobile Pro Gold Coast as the Australian Grand Slam of Surfing continues for the coming weeks.
The Australian Grand Slam of Surfing, part of The WSL Countdown, will see 24 of Australia’s best surfers (12 men and 12 women) go head to head in their respective divisions.
Eleven male CT competitors and eight female CT competitors will be on standby for each stop, some looking to compete for the first time in 2020.
The remaining spots in each field will be allocated to the highest ranked 2019 non-qualifying Australian surfers or selected wildcard surfers.
The broadcast-only ‘strike mission’ style event, not designed for spectators due to COVID-19, will see competitors given just four days’ notice within the competition window, to travel to each location to compete over two days. Surf conditions will determine which location is surfed and when to make sure surfers compete in the best conditions possible.
Adding to the high stakes, men and women’s overall series champions will each win $20,000AUD to donate to a charity of their choice.
