Jacob Willcox

Australian surfer from Margaret River nicknamed 'Chippo', who finally qualified for the Championship Tour in 2023 after a decade on the Qualifying Series.

Born in Margaret River, Western Australia, on 2 June 1997, Jacob Willcox signed with Rip Curl at age 11 and quickly became one of Australia's most accomplished junior surfers. He spent much of his early career winning wildcards at his home break in Margaret River, along with additional wildcards at Peniche in Portugal and Bali, and his best Championship Tour result before qualifying outright was a fifth-place finish as a wildcard at the 2019 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. Willcox's path to full Championship Tour qualification took ten years and included missing out by a single spot for three consecutive years. He finally qualified for the 2024 tour after a breakout Challenger Series season, capped by strong finishes including a runner-up result heading into the final qualifying events in Portugal. His rookie Championship Tour season proved short-lived: Willcox surfed just five events in 2024 before missing the mid-year cut, a result that came down to a single heat at his home break of Margaret River. He documented his rollercoaster year in the surf film 'Chip', which explored both his qualification and subsequent fall back to the Challenger Series. Willcox continues to compete on the Challenger Series and via wildcards, renowned for his powerful tube-riding in heavy Western Australian surf, and remains a threat to requalify for the elite tour in future seasons.

Powerful backhand tube-riding suited to heavy Western Australian surf

Regarded as one of Western Australia's most powerful tube-riding talents