Matt Wilkinson has won his second consecutive world tour event at the Rip Curl Pro. Wilko defeated South African Jordy Smith in the final 17.37 to 14.16 and becomes the first goofy-footer since Mark Occhilupo in 1998 to ring the Bell.
The win caps of a first place finish at Snapper Rocks and sees Wilko retain the yellow jersey heading into third event of the season at Margaret River. The current world number one is now 11,800 points ahead of his nearest rival, American Rookie, Conner Coffin with Jordy Smith ranked equal third with Kolohe Andino.
Runner up Jordy Smith surfed four heats to Wilko’s three on finals day, the South African overcoming Caio Ibelli, Michel Bourez and Mick Fanning on his way to the finals. After a horror run of injuries that has seen him sidelined for much of 2015 the result is his best since his win at the Hurley Pro at Trestles against John John Florence in 2014.
But the big question is, does this win put Matt Wilkinson on the map as a genuine world title contender?
