Young Guns Steal the Show on Opening Day of Burton Automotive Pro QS 5000

MEREWETHER BEACH, Newcastle, NSW / Australia (Monday, March 11, 2024) - A surprise swell delivered highly rippable conditions for the final regional QS of the ‘23/'24 season for the Australia / Oceania and Asia regions, the Burton Automotive Pro & Newcastle Racecourse Women's Pro World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 5000, to get underway. Two-to-four feet of semi-clean surf poured into Merewether Beach all day, allowing for high performance surfing to decide the 16 heats of men's Round of 128.

It didn't take long for fireworks to fly, especially after 2023 Burton Automotive Pro semifinalist Hughie Vaughan (AUS) hit the water in heat three of the morning. Hot off a huge performance at the Australian Boardriders Battle, where he surfed for North Shelly Boardriders in the Final late yesterday afternoon, the 17-year-old was able to perform despite shaky legs. In a scene straight out of one of his freesurfing clips, the superstar junior launched himself into a giant full rotation air reverse, landing it impeccably clean to earn an 8.93, the highest single wave score of the day.

"It felt that good," Vaughan said. "It was just really fun to get a good wave with a good section. I'm just trying to have some fun."

Jackson Dorian - WSL / Darren Anderson

Fellow juniors Jackson Dorian (HAW) and Eden Hasson (AUS) also had great starts to their campaigns, posting solid scores for fast, engaged surfing. Moving through his second season of competing in QS events in Australia, Dorian is fresh off his best result yet in the series, a Round of 16 finish in the Ryde Central Coast Pro QS 3000, and is looking to push even deeper into the draw here in Newcastle.

"I'm stoked," Dorian said. "I just came off my best result this year in Australia and I'm feeling super confident and I feel like I'm starting to get a little bit of momentum, so hopefully I can keep it going through this event and hopefully get a couple fun ones."

Eden Hasson - WSL / Darren Anderson

The youngest ever surfer to compete in SURFEST, 12-year-old Newcastle local Kade Kelly (AUS), was able to progress through a tight heat. The U/14 Boy's winner of the Sanbah Cadet Cup (also a part of SURFEST), Kelly found a solid two-turn combo on his backhand to post the second best score of the heat, a 5.50, within the first five minutes and maintain an advantage till the end.

"Wow, can't believe I'm the youngest competitor, just stoked," Kelly said. "Waves are pretty fun today. I was feeling good paddling out. My goal was to just try and get through and I was stoked with that 5.50."

Noah Arkfeld (PHI) and Ryuichi Inoue (JPN) both had good showings for the Asia region, while many of the surfers representing nations outside of Asia and Australia / Oceania, including Sean Gunning (ESP), Harry de Roth (ENG), Paco Alonzo (FRA), and Diego Cordeiro (ITA), were able to progress into the Round of 96.

The 2024 Burton Automotive Pro & Newcastle Racecourse Women's Pro QS 5000 will run from March 11 - 17, 2024.