SYDNEY, May 31 -- After finishing last in his heat at Australia's Margaret River Pro and being forced into a dreaded elimination round on Friday, legendary surfer Kelly Slater has drastically changed his fortune, earning the highest score of the competition yet.

In a three man heat, Slater was given a two-wave combined score of 16.50 to progress along with Brazilian Caio Ibelli on 14.40, while Australian Adrian Buchan left the competition with a nonetheless respectable 13.93.

"I felt great. I felt loose and confident. Things went my way," Slater said.

"I needed a bit of a confidence booster. In the first heat, I felt I surfed alright but didn't score well. Today's heat I just said, let's just lay it all out here and see what happens."

Slater has raised some eyebrows this year regarding his performance on the World Surfing League (WSL), with the 47-year-old bowing out early from the Quicksilver Pro last month.

Going into Friday's heat and facing yet another early exit, the 11-time-world champion said was not easy.

"It's a little stressful," Slater said.

"You feel like bottom of the barrel. Because you're like, 'Ok, I'm the bottom 12 guys and I'm the bottom four of those if I lose right here'. It's not good for your confidence."

Also progressing through to the next round was local entry, Jack Robinson, who despite his amateur status topped his heat with a score of 12.60.

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