Cronulla's Connor O’Leary will start his first Championship Tour season on the Gold Coast in March after the 2017 World Surf League schedules were announced.
O’Leary, 23, is the first surfer from the shire to compete on the world stage since Kirk Flintoff almost 10 years ago and joins a prestigious list of Cronulla surfing royalty including Richard Marsh, Gary Green, Jim Banks and Mark Occhilupo to compete on the world’s top tier tour.
O’Leary will compete at the season-opening Quiksilver Pro on the Gold Coast from March 14-25 before the Margaret River Pro and the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach in April.
As well as Australia, the tour will take O’Leary to Fiji, Brazil, France, Portugal and Hawaii, where the season will end in December with the Billabong Pipe Masters.
Meanwhile, Kiama has played host to the WSL World Junior Championships, with competition to wrap up on Friday.
