Connor O'Leary couldn't quite get over the line at Snapper Rocks, but the Australian's runner-up finish at the Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro presented by GWM has shifted his 2026 narrative.
The Sydneysider — runner-up at the 2024 World Championships and a familiar figure deep into draws on the back end of tour seasons — pushed Ethan Ewing all the way in a 40-minute final that swung on Ewing's opening 8.0 and never quite gave O'Leary the canvas to mount a comeback.
"Connor was chasing a 667, but there was nothing to it," the WSL's commentary team noted as the final-buzzer scores were locked in. "Yeah, he's not going to jump the gun here either. I think Ethan's just waiting for confirmation from the beach announcers just to be sure."
The loss is no setback in rankings terms. A second-place finish at a Championship Tour event is a meaningful points haul, and after an inconsistent start to the year, O'Leary now has the kind of result that anchors a title campaign.
The broadcast team was complimentary of his approach in the final. "There's that backhand vertical attack that we've seen all day long, all week long," one analyst said as O'Leary stitched together one of his sharper exchanges in the early minutes of the match. "Look out. Lip line. And he's on a roll again, stabbing it through that section, back up into the foam to float it quickly in transition and keeping his board above water."
What undid O'Leary was a mid-heat lull on the Snapper sets. With Ewing controlling priority and managing wave selection, the lineup conspired to rob the Australian of the build-through wall he needed for a 6.67. "Nothing much on this wave," the broadcast noted of his final scoring opportunity. "He has to step off… For the wave to stand up. It didn't do it."
O'Leary now heads to New Zealand and a potential strong fit for his game — Raglan's lefts have historically allowed him to channel the same backhand vertical attack he turned on at Snapper, and a deep result there would put him firmly in the title conversation.
The Australian leg, on balance, has been a productive one. "Connor from deep," the broadcast said of his early draw work. "A tricky wave to surf here. Lots of foam on the face… Just uh waiting for the wave to build up again." That patience, in short bursts, paid him into the final at the cost of a higher gear when it mattered most.
For a surfer whose career narrative has been defined by close finishes, the Gold Coast result is another step in the cumulative case for O'Leary as a genuine title threat in 2026.
