BURLEIGH'S Thomas Woods has chalked up his first Australian Open Men's title against a super competitive line-up at Duranbah Beach.

The former Australian Pro Junior champion and World Grommet champion has been in excellent form.

Woods was runner-up to Mitch Parkinson in the QCC showdown last month and will earn a place on the Australian team for next year's World ISA Surfing Games.

Snapper's Jay Phillips, who was awarded a wildcard in the Open Men's, was eliminated in the semi-finals to finish equal seventh.

However the "Fingal Flyer” placed runner-up to NSW's Mitch Dawkins in the fiercely competitive 0/35's.

Phillips appeared to have the final wrapped up but a last minute wave allowed Dawkins to take the win. The Port Stephens surfer made it a double by winning the 0/35's and 0/40s. Dawkins held off former national champion Mark Richardson in the 0/40's final. Cabarita's Matt Hurworth finished seventh overall.

Should the WISA run a World Masters competition, Dawkins, Phillips and Richardson will be sure bets for green and gold selection, although the last World ISA Masters was held back in 2013 in Central America.

In other results, former Australian champion Jason Frost of Palm Beach was second in the 0/45's while Coolangatta's Piper Harrison was third in the Open women's final.

The World ISA Juniors titles will be decided in Japan at Miyazaki next month and Jaggar Bartholomew, the oldest son of former world champion Rabbit Bartholomew, will be representing Australia for the first time in the u/18 boys.

The beach venue is Okuragahama and is reputed to have excellent beach break waves with the start of the Typhoon season in September.

Talking of Japan and the 2020 Olympics, there is concern that this first ever surfing world Olympic event could be held at the wrong time of the year for waves in August. But there will be a waiting period of 16 days and the surfing Olympics are to run off in two days.

Kelly Slater has said it would be an honour to compete in the first ever Surfing Olympics. By 2020, Kelly will be 48 although the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) will probably still be ripping!

Obviously the organisers will be counting on a successful inaugural event so that surfing as an Olympic sport will be firmly established for future Games, especially with the news that France and California have been confirmed as Olympic venues in 2024 and 2028 and thankfully both have surfing venues.

Japan is seeking to use the ocean in preference to a modernised version of a Kelly Slater wave pool for the Olympics, despite the fallout from Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Many believe that radiation spilled from the power plant has polluted the northern coast of Japan and radiation levels have been traced as far away as the California coast.

Japanese organisers sought to use the beach breaks of Chiba to dispel this theory by convincing surfers that it is safe to surf there.