The 2026 Fiji Pro was a tale of self-belief and resilience. Winners Erin Brooks and Cole Houshmand have, respectively, stared down a bounty of challenges this season on the Championship Tour, but digging deep, the pair delivered at Cloudbreak.

Prior to her win in Tahiti last month, Brooks hadn’t finished better than ninth place all year. A string of subpar results had her adrift on tour. Then came Teahupo’o, where her forehand tube riding prowess took center stage. Scoring an impassioned, come-from-behind win, she found her mojo and fired up some much-needed momentum going into the second stop of the South Pacific leg.

Houshmand’s endured a similar season. Besides the stop in New Zealand, where he finished fifth, the San Clemente powerhouse hadn’t made it out of the opening round all year.…