'It feels like it could be a dream': Mikey McDonagh wins major surf title

McDonagh, 22, has been toiling away since he was a teenager with dreams of making the professional tour.

He was the crowd favourite during a memorable week of competition at Snapper Rocks.

It is his first major win since his days as a pro junior with the Gold Coast Pro part of the WSL Challenger Series.

The challenger series is a stepping stone on to the main tour next season.

Professional surfers who miss the midseason cut on the Championship Tour have to requalify through the challenger series.

Surfers from the Qualifying Series also have a chance to impress at stake their claim at the six events.

McDonagh defeated Brazilian Samuel Pupo in the final.

Pupo won the event last year and surfed a full season on the Championship Tour in 2022.

"I still don't even know if this is real," McDonagh said.

"It feels like it could be a dream, and I could wake up at any moment. This is the best day of my life.

"I'm pretty lost for words, to be honest.

"I haven't cracked the quarters before, I've had a lot of 9th-place results so getting into the quarter-finals is definitely a bit of a monkey off the back.

"I felt like once I got into those rounds, I could actually unshackle the chains off me and actually show my surfing.

"It's a long year, but I'm super stoked to start this way, and I just want to keep it going and hopefully get to the end goal."

McDonagh pulled off some clutch moments in the earlier heats and had a massive supporter base from the Far North Coast by his side.

Judges during the event said his surfing was similar to multiple time world champion Mick Fanning.

In the final, he took charge early, surfing multiple waves all the way down the point, getting cheers from the crowd on every turn.

He eventually landed on a two-wave total of 15.43 (out of a possible 20), which left Pupo needing a near-perfect score.

McDonagh will surf again at the Sydney Pro this week.

The series heads to South Africa in July with the last of the six events to be held at Brazil in October.

McDonagh has a chance to head overseas on top of the rankings with the top four scores counted towards a final score.

Evans Head surfer Callum Robson earned his way on the tour a few years ago after a breakout season across multiple Qualifying Series events.

He was there at Snapper Rocks on the weekend to congratulate McDonagh when he was chaired up the beach in celebration of his win.