@WSL/Brent: Matt McGillivray
Jeffrey’s Bay surfing ace Matthew McGillivray recorded his best-ever result on the World Surf League’s elite Champions Tour on Monday with a tie for third in the Margaret River Pro in Western Australia.
Filipe Toledo of Brazil beat another South African Jordy Smith to the title in the final in a massive day of action as Main Break turned on super clean four-to-six foot surf for the fourth stop of the CT season.
Toledo was in searing form on Finals Day, building momentum through each heat he surfed and saving his best performance for last against Jordy, posting a two-wave combination of 17.33 (out of a possible 20), one of the highest of the event.
The South African was still stoked to find himself back in the mix on Finals Day for the first time on the 2021 Australian leg. “Next, I just need to win one of these things,” said Smith. “I’m just excited to try and keep some momentum and head over to Rottnest Island and hopefully go one better over there.”
McGillivray’s career-best equal third-place finish was a welcome boost for the young South African. After poor results in the first two of the four-stage Australian leg of the tour, this result has seen him shoot up to 16th place on the CT tour rankings.
Matt defeated Japanese surfer Kanoa Igarashi in the round of 16 before beating Hawaiian surfer Seth Moniz comfortably in the quarterfinals. Matt came up against eventual contest winner Toledo in the second semi-final and bowed out in what was a close heat.
The next event is the Rip Curl Rottnest Search (16-26 May) where both Smith and McGillivray will have another chance to increase their points tally and continue to move up the World Surf League rankings.
