Sport

Local surfers reach final rounds of Phillip Island Pro at Cape Woolamai

Lucy Darragh (AUS) and Alister Reginato (AUS) won the World Surf League (WSL) Phillip Island Pro Qualifying Series (QS) 4000 event, the two Australians claiming victory over Anon Matsuoka (JPN) and Tully Wylie Jan Juc (AUS) in a three-to-five-foot swell.

by Bruce Wardley

Published March 06, 2026

Local surfers reach final rounds of Phillip Island Pro at Cape Woolamai — Sophie Wilkinson delivered a standout performance, posting the highest women's heat total on the opening day of the Phillip Island Pro Qualifying Series at Cape Woolamai. Photo: WSL / Hughes

A QUARTERFINALS berth for Phillip Island surfer Sophie Fletcher in the World Surf League (WSL) Phillip Island Pro Qualifying Series (QS) 4000 saw her succumb to eventual winner Lucy Darragh in a hard-fought elimination round.

Lucy Darragh (AUS) capped off a dominant season with her third major QS victory.

Competing in her first full year on the QS, the 15-year-old from the South Coast of NSW blitzed the field, winning the Australia/Oceania QS title for 2025/26 by a large margin.

"I'm so stoked,” Darragh said.

"Honestly, I was just fighting for my life out there, though. I was just paddling the whole heat. I just could not get any waves, but eventually found a couple. My plan was to go to the little rip bowl right on the inside. I was hoping to go further out the back, but it kind of moved in, so I ended up being really close to the shore."

Mornington Peninsula’s Sophie Wilkinson reached the Women's Round of 32, placing her 25th in the QS 4000. Joe Van Djik of Phillip Island made it through three rounds to also make the round of 32, where he was eliminated by Torquay-based Xavier Huxtable and Indonesian Dylan Wilcoxen.

A huge performance from Alister Reginato (AUS) saw the 25-year-old from the Sunshine Coast secure a place back on the Challenger Series by claiming his second QS victory and the biggest win of his career. Posting the highest number on finals day with an 8.75 in his semi-final defeat of Harley Walters (AUS) courtesy of a lofty air reverse, Reginato largely moved through the draw on the strength of his power surfing.

"I'm pretty frothing, keen to be back on the Challenger and back with all the boys and rip into the rest of the crew," Reginato said.

"It's pretty similar here to home, except it's usually four feet bigger here than it is on the Sunshine Coast. The only time we get a wave is when it's rip-bowling, so I felt pretty at home, but just not in boardies. I knew Wiz (Tully Wylie) was waiting for a pretty good wave, and I saw he got one and just fell. It was pretty hard out there at that out-of-the-back bank on the high tide. I was just stoked that he didn't get another wave."

When the dust settled, the top places in the Australia/Oceania men's QS rankings saw minor shifts, with Reef Heazlewood (AUS) holding onto the regional title and Lennix Smith (AUS) and Caleb Tancred (AUS) in second and third, respectively. Harley Walters (AUS) took the No. 4 position from Dane Henry (AUS), who was eliminated in the Quarterfinals by a solid buzzer-beater from Marlon Harrison (AUS).

Reginato jumped into No. 6, with Xavier Huxtable (AUS) holding onto the final qualifying position at No. 7. The sole surfer of the existing Top 7 to not appear on finals day, Ben Lorentson (AUS), was knocked out of contention into No. 8.

The recently announced schedule for the 2026/2027 Challenger Series season will see the qualified surfers beginning their campaigns to graduate to the Championship Tour with CS stop number one at Ballito, South Africa in July.

Wildcards are yet to be determined in a number of fields. Wildcards are highly coveted and will go to a Surfer who has competed in the nine QS events held over the season.

The 2026 Phillip Island Pro QS 4000 and Pro Junior series was run at Cape Woolamai from February 26 to March 4, supported by Visit Victoria and Bass Coast Shire and is planning to return to Phillip Island in 2027.

“We absolutely love coming to The Island,” said Tour Manager Bonnie McLeod.

“As the final event of Asia and Australia/Oceania region's qualifying series (QS) season, this event solidifies our Challenger Series qualifiers and shapes the year ahead for a handful of surfers who are one step closer to reaching the elite Championship Tour.”

For more information and results, go to WorldSurfLeague.com

Final 2025/2026 Australia/Oceania Women's Rankings

Lucy Darragh (AUS)

Isla Huppatz (AUS)*

Charli Hately (AUS)

Ziggy Aloha Mackenzie (AUS)

Wildcard To Be Determined

Final 2025/2026 Asia Women's Rankings:

Kana Nakashio (JPN)

Anon Matsuoka (JPN)

Minami Nonaka (JPN)

Wildcard To Be Determined