Two young Australians, Jacob Willcox and Bronte Macaulay turn heads at the Western Australia Margaret River Pro

The second leg of the much anticipated Australian portion of the World Surf League Championship tour has kicked off in Western Australia. The last contest before the mid-season cut brings stress and passion from all the remaining surfers on tour. In particular, the Australian surfers are out to show the world just how talented the pool is in Western Australia, two Aussies in particular, Jacob Willcox and Bronte Macaulay did not disappoint.

The young up-and-comers had a unique opportunity to show what they can bring to the water on surfing's biggest stage while proving to those around them that they are perhaps the next generation of surfing champions.

Willcox came into the Margaret River event with experience as a wildcard in the past. He grew up in Western Australia and has won events at home before. Australia is always a special spot on the WSL Championship tour, one that many surfers look forward to. Willcox recalls his experience growing up close to Margaret River and what makes this location stand out from the rest.

"Growing up in Western Australia was cool," he told Fansided. "It’s a pretty raw ocean here and you’re open to all the elements. It’s really isolated and quiet which is kind of cool.  Like, I don't know, it's, a special place to grow up and I feel like it molds the kind of the surfer that you, you turn into and because of that I wouldn't change it for the world."

Despite not making it past the mid-season cut, Willcox is proud of the journey that led him to compete on the tour this year. He reflects on the road to the Championship tour that saw both ups and downs for him over the past few years.

"Yeah, I guess my journey to the CT was a little bit longer than I would have liked it to have taken," he said. "There were a lot of lessons that I feel like I had to learn to get here. Everyone has a different journey to get to the CT. Even once you’re on, everyone's experience is different. It’s been good. It’s a different tour with such a different pressure, always versing the world’s best. Like, it's the best of the best and you can't get away with making average calls and bad decisions. And I feel like I did that at the start of the year and that's probably what's put me in the position I'm in now from just like some some sloppy heats and, some bad decisions in the last few minutes of the heat. But as quickly as stuff can go wrong in our sport, It can also go good. You're dealing with the ocean where it's, so unpredictable and, you just need a little bit of momentum to go your way."

Bronte Macaulay made the most of her WSL wildcard slot at home in Western Australia

On the flip side of the competition, Bronte Macaulay was coming into the Margaret River competition as a wildcard. She is a hometown favorite and was looking to prove that she can ride with the best. For the past few years, Macaulay has found a spot in the events taking place at her home surf break. Her highest placement has been third, but his year she is looking to break through to the final.

"Yeah, it's been like a pretty good run for me here," she said. "I’m really keen to break through into the Final though. When you get that close to the final, you just really want to get the win. That’s what you’re really thinking about. So, just trying to keep it pretty level-headed for every heat and, that's the way I want to surf and whatever happens, will happen, I guess."

Macaulay will be competing in the Challenger Series later this year in hopes of securing a permanent spot on the Championship Tour. That circuit is tough but stands as a proving ground for the next generation of surfers looking to compete for a championship.

"I guess just doing the Challenger Series and, trying to be really consistent with that and, trying to get a good start in the first two Aussie events, like Snapper and Narrabeen," she said. "I feel like if you have a good start, it really takes the pressure off for the last few events. It's hard going into Brazil and needing the results...I guess just traveling to those six events, and I've started a bit of uni online, studying teaching so, just trying to surf as much as I can really, maybe squeezing in a few surf trips if I can. Just living a pretty, pretty balanced lifestyle, and just making sure I'm surfing as much as I can because then I'm, you know, happy, happy, more happy than when I'm not surfing."

The WSL Western Australia Margaret River Pro is in full swing right now. The women are heading to the quarterfinals while the men are posed to take on the round of 16. Fans can tune in on WorldSurfLeague.com or the app and on WSL on YouTube.