Fitting Finale

NUMBER ONE: His victory at Sunset fired him into his rookie year on the CT. Photo WSL / Keoki

Matthew McGillivray ends the QS season at #4 spot to join the world's top 34 next year. A 3rd in the Hawaiian Pro and a Quarterfinal finish today will see him join the CT when it begins in late March.

“It was such a rush of emotions, such a relief. It’s been my biggest dream and to be able to achieve that is just hard to describe. Such an amazing experience to be here and how everything has worked out. So many good, happy emotions. Jordy Smith has been the whole inspiration for South Africa for over 10 years, to be able to join him on tour is incredible," he said.

In the second event of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, Robinson earned 10,000 points to surge from 22nd on the QS to fifth. Sadly for Ezekiel Lau (HAW), this squeezes him out of CT requalification. Robinson will have his first run on the dream tour.

BARRELFEST: His tubes took him to the highest heat total in history at Sunset. Photo WSL / Heff

A key to his win were the choice barrels he hooked into under priority to rack up a colossal 19.07 two-wave total in the Final, touted as the greatest result in the entire history of competitive surfing at Sunset Beach, which spans over four decades.

“I was on point,” said Robinson. “We’re ready. It was a while coming. A lot of build-up to this. I felt like I wanted to get on [the CT] earlier but it happens when it happens. Time is the owner of it sometimes. Been working really hard this year clearing things up in my mind and I’m in a good place. I’m ready!”

The final was a hefty mix of talent including Ethan Ewing (AUS) and Maui’s Cody Young (HAW), who took third and fourth place respectively, and held heavy implications for all four athletes. Lau’s loss was the biggest of all as his second-place result put him just shy of the points needed to re-qualify. The Hawaiian was on fire throughout the entire competition and won every heat up until the Final, but needed to win the event to ascend to the 2020 CT.

LIP LAUNCH: Gatien Delahaye from France goes all in for a 2020 qualifying win. Photo WSL / Keoki

The Vans Triple Crown has been running for 37 consecutive years on Oahu's North Shore and determines the best competitive surfer at three defining and world-class waves: Haleiwa, Sunset and Pipeline.

The Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa Ali'i Beach had a holding window from November 13 - 24 and saw Frederico Morais (PRT) earn the win and solidify a spot on the WSL Men's 2020 Championship Tour (CT). The second stop of the series, the Vans World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach, took place between November 25 - December 7 and saw hefty career implications as Jack Robinson (AUS) took the win and Ethan Ewing (AUS) earned a strong lead on the Vans Triple Crown title race.

The third and final event, the Billabong Pipe Masters, has a holding window from December 8-20 and will begin with the Pipe Invitational, a 32-man trial event that provides two slots into the main event for the top placing surfers.

SOLIDIFIED: Matt McGillivray ended up 4th on the QS, an amazing result. Photo WSL / Keoki

Top 10 Surfers from 2019 Qualifying Series

1 Frederico Morais (PRT)
2 Jadson Andre (BRA)
3 Yago Dora (BRA)
4 Matthew McGillivray (ZAF)
5 Jack Robinson (AUS)
6 Alex Ribeiro (BRA)
7 Miguel Pupo (BRA)
8 Ethan Ewing (AUS)
9 Connor O’Leary (AUS)
10 Deivid Silva (BRA)