It was a moment of divided emotions for Australian surf fans. Heat seven in the round of 32, in the final Challenger Series event featured Liam O’Brien and Jordy Lawler who were both in contention to qualify for the 2022 CT. Both surfers had come achingly close to busting down the CT door in recent years.

Their fate was decided in a Haleiwa lineup that looked like the archetypal cruel sea – ten-foot chunks of ocean interrupted by a roaring current and vicious cross-chop. Finding a good wave was like trying to decipher a cryptic problem.

O’Brien combined deft wave choice with sublime carves and controlled the heat. Meanwhile, Lawler got lost at sea and despite making a valiant, late charge couldn’t claim the third place in the heat he required to keep his CT dream alive.

Victory in the heat confirmed O’Brien’s place on the 2022 CT. Last year he proved he can handle the elite level competition when he made the most of a wild card and surfed all the way through to the semi-finals of the Rip Curl Search event at Rottenest Island. O’Brien was a straight-A kinda student at school and is acknowledged as one of the smartest competitors in the upper echelons of Pro surfing. Don’t be surprised if he figures out how to cultivate a long CT career.

O’Brien’s qualification confirmation comes after Connor O’Leary secured his position on tour earlier in the event. Things are looking up for the Australians.