The Judges have just decided on their Round 4 winners and this is how it went down.

First up was the Public Vote. This ended up being a tight one between Luke Thompson and Ryan Schoon. Both surfers had banger clips from the same swell in Namibia which made voting interesting. However, Ryan managed to get the majority vote and earned himself the Public Vote.

It was then down to the judges to deliberate and decide who would take home Round 4 and the Local Hero prize!

This is what Monster had to say:

“Crazy Stuff! This year’s competition has been insane. We’re blown away by the quality of entries we’ve received. Every Round has been so tough to judge, but it’s been a privilege sifting through endless bangers. Well done to all the surfers.

In Round 4 Kai Hall stacked some crazy entries, and Ducky Staples had a wild tube at New Pier, but we decided that Luke Thompson’s Donkey tube was the winner! Luke’s barrel was so long and intense that it just had to get our vote.

Local Hero was an easy one! Ryan Schoon got the Public Vote, and his wave at Skeleton Bay was mental. So he takes it for us.”

The Zigzag team discussed amongst themselves and finally came to a unanimous decision. Zag Publisher Andy Davis said this:

“This year’s competition sure has lived up to its name, and Clutch is what it’s been! Entry after entry, the Saffa’s have delivered. Pretty much every wave of the 97 submissions has been excellent; it just goes to show the talent and quality we have on offer.

This Round, like the ones before, was tricky to choose a winner… Ducky and Kai pushed it to the wire, but Luke Thompson takes the Round 4 win.

For Local Hero, we’ve also gone with Ryan Schoon. That thing was super heavy and reeling down the point. He rode it superbly.”

This is what Matt Bromley had to say:

“I think Luke Thompson’s Namibian barrel is mental. That’s my winner. The way he navigated it and managed to maximise the tube time…. That was very impressive.

My local hero is Ryan Schoon with that deep Skeleton Bay pit. Big barrel and really well ridden.”

So that’s it for CLUTCH! 2023. All four rounds are complete. The only thing left is to decide the overall winner!

What happens now is the public will vote on the four round winners and then the judges will deliberate over a few cold Monsters, and decide on which ride takes the overall cash prize and a trip to the Sozinhos Surf Lodge in Asu, Indonesia. Stay glued to our Social Media platforms, where you’ll be able to vote for your favourite.