Big break comes with tour wildcard
One is a professional surfer who has fought his way back from injury, the other an up-and-coming star who is preparing for her first foray on the world tour.
Gracetown surfers Yadin Nicol and Laura Macaulay yesterday won two of the three wildcard spots in the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro, with the third going to Queenslander Nathan Hedge.
Nicol will face 11-time world champion Kelly Slater and said he was relishing the chance to surf in WA after moving to California about five years ago.
"It's awesome they've bumped Margaret River up to the championship tour and it looks like a good week of waves," he said.
Macaulay, 22 yesterday, won her nailbiting final in the last 10 seconds at Prevelly's Surfers Point.
"I thought it was over because there weren't many waves on the horizon but I got lucky," she said.
"This is pretty big. I've never surfed in a world tour event."
Rhianna King
