Gracetown's Bronte Macaulay claimed victory at the Doyle Partners Women's Pro event as part of the 35th annual Newcastle Surfest in challenging conditions at Merewether Beach on Saturday.
In an all-Australian final, the WA surfer took down fellow Championship Tour competitor Macy Callaghan to claim victory in her first event of 2020.
Using her strong backhand technique to post multiple six-point rides, the current World Number 12 scored a combined total of 12.80 in shifty beach break conditions to kick off her 2020 campaign in winning form.
A Surfest Junior Champion in 2014, Macaulay looked comfortable all week, posting the second-highest heat total of the event with a 17.40 in Round 4, and was again composed in the punchy head-high right-hand breaks throughout the 35-minute final, leading from start to finish to claim the equal-best result of her career.
"I've only won one QS before, so it's nice to get a second one under the belt," Macaulay said.
"We've had two months off so it's hard to know where you're at compared to everyone else, to make sure your boards are good and you're surfing good, so I'm just really happy.
"It's the first event of the year so to take a win, I'm just stoked."
"This year I want to go well on the CT and hopefully get some big results there, but it's a good way to start the year," the goofy-footer said on requalification and her year ahead.
"We both surfed four heats today and are headed straight to Manly tomorrow, so were both really feeling it - but it's a great way to finish the day."
After a slow start, fellow former Surfest Junior Champion, going back-to-back in 2015 and 2016, Callaghan fought her way back into the heat with the highest single scoring wave of the final.
Committing to a huge on-rail frontside hack to post a 7.57 and get herself within striking range, it set up a tense final 12 minutes to the day's action.
The World Number 17 couldn't find a back-up score, however, falling twice in the final moments and unable to find the 5.23 required to move ahead, eventually taking second-place and a confidence-inspiring result before heading to Manly to continue her 2020 campaign.
"I would have obviously loved to have won, but it's a really good start to the year and lots of confidence to come from it," the surfer from Shelly Beach said of her event.
The 35th annual Newcastle Surfest saw women's prize-money brought to parity with the men's through a crowdfunding initiative with a pool of 97 local organisations and individuals contributing to support the event.
