Do you remember the last time the Championship Tour landed on the Gold Coast of Australia? You don’t? Well, the last time was 2019. Prior the mid-year cut. Before the creation of the Final 5 Championship Event. Prior to the global pandemic in 2020.
Needless to say, a lot has changed since 2019. The Gold Coast was the kickoff event every year for a reason – gorgeous colored water, big crowds, and the opportunity for surfers to get barreled at Kirra/Snapper Rocks/The Superbank. So when the event popped back up on the 2025 schedule, we were all excited.
But even the most well thought-out plans can crumble when Mother Nature intervenes. Cyclones did a number on the sand filtered into the area, and we are now looking at an event being held at Burleigh Heads – just up the coast. Burleigh has it’s own hallowed history and many on the Gold Coast actively seek out the barrel section as massive crowds swarm the Super Bank. A hidden gem? Not quite, but a solid alternative to a premiere surf spot.
As far as favorites for this event go, every surfer that you would expect to dominate a right hand pointbreak are solid choices. On the men’s side, Filipe Toledo, Griffin Colapinto, and Italo Ferreira are former winners of this event and are probably solid bets to perform well for your Fantasy Surfer team. On the women’s side, expect Caitlin Simmers, Molly Picklum, Brisa Hennessey, Tyler Wright and wildcard(!) Stephanie Gilmore – a 6x Gold Coast winner – to score solid points.
Don’t forget to log on to FantasySurfer.com and select your team for the upcoming Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro!
Andrew Shield
Who: The 2025 Men’s and Women’s Championship Tour
When: May 3-13, 2025
Where: Burleigh Heads, Queensland, Australia
Time Zone: Queensland is 14 hours ahead of the US East Coast and 17 hours ahead of the US West Coast. This means that 8am May 3rd in Queensland is 6pm May 2nd in New York City, and 3pm May 2nd in Los Angeles. Plan accordingly!
Andrew Shield
Upcoming Round 1 Heats:
Mens:
Heat 1: Kanoa Igarashi, Marco Mignot, Ryan Callinan
Heat 2: Jordy Smith, George Pittar, Imakalani deVault
Heat 3: Yago Dora, Jackson Bunch, Edgard Groggia
Heat 4: Jack Robinson, Alan Cleland, Callum Robson
Heat 5: Ethan Ewing, Joao Chianca, Jordan Lawler
Heat 6: Italo Ferreira, Liam O’Brien, TBA
Heat 7: Barron Mamiya, Seth Moniz, Deivid Silva
Heat 8: Leo Fioravanti, Connor O’Leary, Ian Gentil
Heat 9: Miguel Pupo, Matthew McGillivray, Alejo Muniz
Heat 10: Rio Waida, Cole Houshmand, Samuel Pupo
Heat 11: Filipe Toledo, Griffin Colapinto, Ian Gouveia
Heat 12: Joel Vaughan, Jake Marshall, Crosby Colapinto
Womens:
Heat 1: Molly Picklum, Erin Brooks, Nadia Erostarbe
Heat 6: Caroline Marks, Sawyer Lindblad, Bettyloulmore
Heat 3: Gabriela Bryan, Bella Kenworthy, TBA
Heat 4: Isabella Nichols, LakeyLindblad, Bettylouitzgibbons
Heat 5: Tyler Wright, Brissa Hennessey, Vahine Fierro
Heat 6: Caroline Marks, Sawyer Lindblad, Bettylou Sakura Johnson