Arriving on the Championship Tour as an injury replacement, Stuart Kennedy first turned heads on the Gold Coast, where he finished in third place. But that wasn't the last we saw of him: He continued to sub for Owen Wright, and eventually joined the tour full-time this season in the Australian's absence.
Despite some mixed performances through the middle of the year, he bounced back at Lowers, and is starting strong at the Billabong Pro Cascais QS 10,000-level event. Kennedy is hanging right near the cutoff spot on both the QS and CT, so every heat win counts as he looks to requalify.