Gold Coast, Queensland (Saturday, 31st October 2020) – Top seeds have dominated the opening day of the Australian Open of Surfing (Gold Coast Pro), which was held today at the Southport Spit in 2-3 foot peaky waves. Finals day will be run tomorrow, with both open male and open female champions being crowned. The Australian Open of Surfing series provides professional and aspiring surfers with the opportunity to win part of $5,000 in prize money and gain momentum going into 2021.
Quin Bruce (Coolangatta, QLD) was a standout in round one, showcasing a combination of powerful carves and aerial maneuvers to score a 15.17 heat total (out of a possible 20). “There are some really fun right handers coming through that are perfect for airs.” Said Bruce.
“I haven’t surfed a heat for about eight months so it was really fun to get the rashie back on and get some good scores on the board.”
Coco Cairns (Noosa, QLD) posted the highest heat total in the open women’s round one with a 13.54 combined two wave heat total and demonstrated very powerful and progressive surfing maneuvers.
“I was lucky to get some fun waves before the storm came along. All the girls were ripping! I am really excited to surf again tomorrow on finals day,” said Cairns.
Other surfers progressing in the open female division include Sophie McCulloch (Alexandra Headland), Piper Harrison (Coolangatta) Kobie Enright (Coolangatta) and Dimity Stoyle (Maroochydore).
The surfing action continued into mens round two before thunderstorms put a halt to the day with notable surfers Liam O’Brien (Burleigh Heads), Matt Boyle (Currumbin) and Cooper Davies (Noosa Heads) progressing into finals day.
For a detailed list of individual heat scores, click HERE.
Champions will be crowned tomorrow in both the open male and open female divisions. Competitors/spectators are encouraged to call the Surfing Queensland event hotline on (07) 3030 6388 from 6:30am for a confirmed start time / location.
2020 Australian Open of Surfing Series Schedule:
Sunshine Coast, Qld – 19th – 20th September 2020
Gold Coast, Qld – 31st October – 1st November 2020
Cronulla – 8th-9th November 2020
Victoria – Date and location TBC
Kiama – 22nd – 23rd November 2020
Coffs Harbour – 29th – 30th November 2020
Northern Beaches – 13th – 14th December 2020
All events will adhere to all COVID-19 policies and regulations outlined by the Queensland Government and council protocols.
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The 2020 Australian Open of Surfing series is proudly supported by Coastalwatch Plus, Surfing World Magazine, H2Coco, The Queensland Government and Surfing Queensland.
