Jordy Smith, Kelly Slater and Promising Swell on Target for Hurley Pro at Trestles

LOWER TRESTLES, California/USA (Saturday, September 11, 2010) –Swell forecasts are looking promising as the greatest assemblage of surfing talent in history descend upon one of the most high-performance waves on the planet for the Hurley Pro at Trestles, running from September 12 – 18, 2010.

Event No. 6 of 10 on the 2010 ASP World Tour, the Hurley Pro at Trestles will host the newly-minted ASP Top 34 as they battle for points, prestige at the highly-coveted ASP World Title.

Jordy Smith (ZAF), 22, current ASP World No. 1, has been the standout throughout the first half of the season, blending a near-unparalleled brand of power surfing amidst a full repertoire of progressive aerials. The Hurley Pro at Trestles will be the inaugural event to utilize the ASP’s 36-man competition format (see below), but the South African maintains that his focus will remain the same.

“The dynamics of the tour will definitely change (following last week’s midyear field reduction) but I am approaching the last five events the same as the first five – just have fun,” Smith said. “At the beginning of the year, I told myself that if I went out and had fun and relaxed in heats, my surfing would be at the level I wanted it to be. I’m happy with where I’m at and looking forward to the next events.”

Despite a stumble in Tahiti, finishing Equal 17th, Smith has been supernaturally consistent in 2010 and remains one of the favorites throughout the back half of the year.

“I felt confident in Tahiti and was unlucky not to get the waves against Manoa (Drollet),” Smith said. “These next few events at Trestles and through Europe, I feel very strong at. Kelly (Slater) and Taj (Burrow) and everyone are strong at these events so it’s going to make the ASP World Title Race interesting. I have some really great boards at the moment and hopefully we can get some swell for the event.”

Smith will face Kai Otton (AUS), 30, and Rob Machado (USA), 36, in the opening round of the Hurley Pro Trestles.

Kelly Slater (USA), 38, past nine-time ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 2, is a veritable threat at every venue on tour, currently sits a mere 250 points behind frontrunner Smith and well within striking distance of an unprecedented 10th ASP World Title.

“It definitely gives a goal to work towards,” Slater said. “In past years, the point structure would have had my results in first place with a 3rd and 9th compared to Jordy’s two 5ths, and the remainder of our placings would equal. Just makes you have to work a bit harder and stay focused. Certain places favor certain guys, but it’s a totally new year and past achievements don’t count.”

The past several years have seen the iconic Floridian experimenting with various equipment, consistently pushing the boundaries of high-performance surfing. With the long walls of Lower Trestles acting as the ideal canvas, and Slater’s equipment finalized, the millions around the world could be in for a spectacular show.

“I’m pretty locked into what I’m riding now,” Slater said. “I was searching for a new feeling over the last two years, but I think I’m pretty settled for now. Lowers is one of the easiest waves on Earth to bring out your potential so we’ll see everyone surfing well I’m sure.”

Slater will battle Luke Stedman (AUS), 34, and Kolohe Andino (USA), 16, in Round 1 of competition.

Jeremy Flores (FRA), 22, current ASP World No. 19, is coming off a career-best resultt (Equal 3rd in Tahiti) and will look to continue the momentum through California and Europe.

“All good for now as I’m so happy with the 3rd in Tahiti,” Flores said. “It has been a while since I’ve gotten a result. I’ve done well at Trestles in the past so hopefully I get in the rhythm again this year.”

Like most surfers, the young Frenchman is eager to prove his worth amidst the near perfection of the Trestles venue and the swell forecast looking promising, is excited to enhance his ASP World Title Race ranking before year’s end.

“Trestles is probably the funnest wave in the world in terms of turns,” Flores said. “I think this year will be interesting with all the big airs! My surfing has been good there so far. Hopefully we get some good waves with size. I concentrate on my surfing, I’m trying to improve more and find my right quiver that suits me well. I’m trying to surf as many good waves as possible and we’ll see where that takes me at the end of the year.”

Flores will take on Bede Durbidge (AUS), 27, and Matt Wilkinson (AUS), 21, in the opening round of the Hurley Pro at Trestles.

For the first time in the history of the sport, the ASP will unveil its new 36-man format at the Hurley Pro Trestles.

ASP WORLD TOUR 36-MAN FORMAT:

Round 1: 12 three-man heats, 1st advances to Round 3, 2nd and 3rd to Round 2
Round 2: 12 man-on-man heats, 1st to Round 3, 2nd is Equal 25th place
Round 3: 12 man-on-man heats, 1st to Round 4, 2nd is Equal 13th place
Round 4: Four 3-man heats, 1st advances to Quarterfinals, 2nd and 3rd to Round 5
Round 5: Four man-on-man heats, 1st advances to Quarterfinals, 2nd is Equal 9th
Quarterfinals: Four man-on-man heats, 1st advances to Semifinals, 2nd is Equal 5th
Semifinals: Two man-on-man heats, 1st advances to Finals, 2nd is Equal 3rd
Final: One man-on-man heat, 1st and 2nd

Surfline, official forecasters for the Hurley Pro Trestles, are currently tracking several promising systems that could be set to deliver good waves throughout the event.

When competition commences, up first will be Dane Reynolds (USA), 25, Chris Davidson (AUS), 33, and Luke Munro (AUS), 27, in Heat 1 Round 1 of the Hurley Pro at Trestles.

Event organizers will convene tomorrow morning at 7am to assess conditions for a possible 8am start.

High-res image available for complimentary download at: (Copy/Paste URL)

http://64.78.18.131/photos/TRESTLES08/smith6872boost08kirstin_n.jpg

The Hurley Pro Trestles will be webcast LIVE via http://www.hurley.com/hurleypro/

The event will also be broadcast LIVE on FUEL TV in Australia. Check out http://www.foxsports.com.au/fueltv for details.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

HURLEY PRO TRESTLES ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:

Heat 1:Dane Reynolds (USA), Chris Davidson (AUS), Luke Munro (AUS)

Heat 2:Adriano de Souza (BRA), Adam Melling (AUS), Brett Simpson (USA)

Heat 3:Mick Fanning (AUS), Taylor Knox (USA), Travis Logie (ZAF)

Heat 4:Taj Burrow (AUS), Patrick Gudauskas (USA), Gabe Kling (USA)

Heat 5:Jordy Smith (ZAF), Kai Otton (AUS), Rob Machado (USA)

Heat 6:Kelly Slater (USA), Luke Stedman (AUS), Kolohe Andino (USA)

Heat 7:Bede Durbidge (AUS), Jeremy Flores (FRA), Matt Wilkinson (AUS)

Heat 8:Bobby Martinez (USA), Michel Bourez (PYF), Daniel Ross (AUS)

Heat 9:C.J. Hobgood (USA), Jadson Andre (BRA), Dusty Payne (HAW)

Heat 10:Andy Irons (HAW), Tiago Pires (PRT), Tom Whitaker (AUS)

Heat 11:Adrian Buchan (AUS), Owen Wright (AUS), Roy Powers (HAW)

Heat 12:Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Damien Hobgood (USA), Kieren Perrow (AUS)

——————————————————————————–

Visit the Press Room on www.aspworldtour.com for news, images, transcribed athlete interviews and more.

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Media
Dave Prodan
email: dave@aspworldtour.com
USA mobile: +1 949 678 0987

AUS mobile: +61 (0) 400 455 228

Digital Photographs:
High-resolution digital images for newspapers and Internet sites are available via the ASP Digital Images Department – please contact kirstin@aspworldtour.com

For Immediate Release

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) International

——————————————————————————–

About ASP: The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the recognized world governing body of professional surfing and has been crowning surfing’s undisputed World Champions since 1976. The ASP sanctions and crowns World Champions for the following tours: the ASP World Tour, the ASP Women’s World Tour, ASP World Junior Tour, ASP World Longboard and Masters Championships. The ASP is dedicated to showcasing the world’s best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and has revolutionized the way the world watches surfing via their webcasts and other media platforms. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Japan, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South America.

Association of Surfing Professionals
72-80 Marine Parade | Coolangatta, QLD 4225

TEAHUPOO, Taiarapu/Tahiti (Friday, September 3, 2010) – Andy Irons (HAW), 32, past three-time ASP World Champion, has won the Billabong Pro Tahiti, besting C.J. Hobgood (USA), 31, in an explosive Final clash in three-to-four foot (1.5 metre) waves at Teahupoo.

The emphatic victory marks Irons’ 20th at the elite level of competition, and the Hawaiian was emotional when regarding his first win in over three years (won Rip Curl Pro Search Chile 2007).

“I did it!” Irons exclaimed. “I took a lot of losses, but I put in the hard work too. I dedicate this win 100% to my wife, Lindy, she is everything to me and without her, I’d be nothing. I really, really like competing because I love to win and I feel on top of the world today. I surf because I love to win. I love this feeling.”

Irons, who bested reigning ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS), 29, lethal rookie Patrick Gudauskas (USA), 24, and past nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 38, en route to the Final, moves from No. 18 to No. 7 on the ASP World Title Race rankings.

South Africa’s Jordy Smith retains the ASP World No. 1 ranking despite a 17th place finish in Tahiti. Defeat by local wildcard and Teahupoo expert Manoa Drollet (PYF) in Round 3 saw the Durbanite’s lead has been cut to a mere 250 points over past nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA). Slater’s semifinal loss to Irons saw him leapfrog Taj Burrow (AUS) into the No. 2 spot.

“I’m up there pretty close,” Slater said. “That’s the way it goes – you have good events and bad events. This one has been pretty good though. The waves haven’t been good, but we’ve seen a lot of cool things. We’ve seen the young guys really step up and we’ve seen Andy (Irons) come back and put one together.”

Durbanite Travis Logie ensured South Africa will have two surfers on the ASP ‘Dream Tour’ for the remaining five events of the 2010 season when he qualified amongst the top 32 in the ASP World Title Race Rankings as the ASP cut the field from 45 to 32.

Needing to advance through at least one round to stay in contention for the mid-year cut-off, Logie did exactly that, recording a dramatic victory over veteran Australian campaigner Kieren Perrow in Round 2 before being eliminated by Frederick Patacchia (HAW) in Round 3.

His 17th place finished left Logie in a four-way tie for 29th position in the rankings, with Perrow at No. 33. The ASP Wildcard committee, comprising surfer representatives, an international panel of ASP doctors and ASP officials, have awarded Perrow and Gabe Kling (USA) the two wildcards that will take the ASP World Tour field for the remainder of the season to 34.

Highlights from the Billabong Pro Tahiti are available via http://www.billabongpro.com/tahiti10/

The next stop on the 2010 ASP World Tour will be the Hurley Pro Trestles in Southern California from September 12 – 18, 2010.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI FINAL RESULTS:

1 – Andy Irons (HAW) 14.67
2 – C.J. Hobgood (USA) 8.33

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI SEMIFINAL RESULTS:

SF 1: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 15.00 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 12.93
SF 2: Andy Irons (HAW) 13.57 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 10.26

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:

QF 1: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 14.53 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 6.23
QF 2: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 11.80 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 11.33
QF 3: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.67 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 12.77
QF 4: Andy Irons (HAW) 16.44 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 11.00

CURRENT TOP 32 ON THE ASP WORLD TITLE RACE (After Billabong Pro Tahiti)

1 Jordy Smith (ZAF) 30250
2 Kelly Slater (USA) 30000
3 Taj Burrow (AUS) 25250
4 Dane Reynolds (USA) 23750
5 Adriano De Souza (BRA) 23250
6 Mick Fanning (AUS) 23000
7 Andy Irons (HAW) 19750
8 Bede Durbidge (AUS) 19250
9 Adrian Buchan (AUS) 18250
10 Owen Wright (AUS) 17500
11 Bobby Martinez (USA) 17000
12 Jadson Andre (BRA) 16500
13 Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 16250
13 Tiago Pires (PRT) 16250
15 C.J. Hobgood (USA) 16000
16 Joel Parkinson (AUS) 15250
17 Damien Hobgood (USA) 15000
17 Michel Bourez (PYF) 15000
19 Jeremy Flores (FRA) 14250
20 Adam Melling (AUS) 13250
21 Chris Davidson (AUS) 12750
22 Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 11000
23 Taylor Knox (USA) 9750
24 Luke Stedman (AUS) 9500
24 Dusty Payne (HAW) 9500
24 Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 9500
27 Roy Powers (HAW) 9000
28 Kai Otton (AUS) 8500
29 Daniel Ross (AUS) 8250
29 Luke Munro (AUS) 8250
29 Brett Simpson (USA) 8250
29 Travis Logie (ZAF) 8250

WILDCARDS FOR THE BALANCE OF THE 2010 SEASON

1 Kieren Perrow (AUS)
2 Gabe Kling (USA)

SURFERS DROPPING OFF THE 2010 ASP WORLD TOUR

Drew Courtney (AUS), 31
Neco Padaratz (BRA), 34
Tanner Gudauskas (USA), 22
Mick Campbell (AUS), 34
Kieren Perrow (AUS), 33
Tom Whitaker (AUS), 30
Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), 25
Blake Thornton (AUS), 25
Dean Morrison (AUS), 29
Jay Thompson (AUS), 28
Nate Yeomans (USA), 29
Ben Dunn (AUS), 24
Marco Polo (BRA), 29

/Ends

Visit the Press Room on www.aspworldtour.com for news, images, transcribed athlete interviews and more.

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Media
Dave Prodan
email: dave@aspworldtour.com
USA mobile: +1 949 678 0987

AUS mobile: +61 (0) 400 455 228
EVENT MEDIA
Billabong Pro Media Manager
Johnathan “JJ” Jenkins
email: johnathan.jenkins@billabong.com.au

Digital Photographs:
High-resolution digital images for newspapers and Internet sites are available via the ASP Digital Images Department please contact kirstin@aspworldtour.com

Issued on behalf of:

ASP Africa
Contact: Colin Fitch – Operations Manager
Tel: 021 534 5738
Email: colin@aspafrica.com

Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax: +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile: +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email: lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

About ASP: The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the recognized world governing body of professional surfing and has been crowning surfing’s undisputed World Champions since 1976. The ASP sanctions and crowns World Champions for the following tours: the ASP World Tour, the ASP Women’s World Tour, ASP World Junior Tour, ASP World Longboard and Masters Championships.

The ASP is dedicated to showcasing the world’s best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and has revolutionized the way the world watches surfing via their webcasts and other media platforms. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Japan, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South America.

TEAHUPOO, Taiarapu/Tahiti (Monday, August 30, 2010) – After seven, consecutive lay days, the Billabong Pro Tahiti commenced action on Monday, and the world’s best surfers unleashed a barrage of hi-fi performances in the glassy three-to-four foot (1.5 metre) barrels on offer at Teahupoo.

Stop No. 5 of 10 on the 2010 ASP World Tour, the Billabong Pro Tahiti completed Round 1 and the opening six heats of Round 2 today, bearing witness to interesting developments in the 2010 ASP World Title Race as well as the drama of the midyear cut-off.

Jordy Smith (ZAF), 22, current ASP World No. 1, finds himself in the driver seat in the hunt for the 2010 ASP World Title heading into Tahiti, and despite not being historically dominant at Teahupoo, the young South African’s progressive repertoire proved enough to net him the win today.

“Definitely relieved to get through Round 1 out there,” Smith said. “We haven’t been doing too much on the off days. So it was tricky out there, but super excited to get through and start focusing on the next heat.”

Facing one of the most difficult match-ups in Round 1, Smith opened his account with an incredible backhand Judo aerial, scoring 7.60 out of a possible 10, and held onto the lead to defeat 2000 ASP World Champion and former event winner C.J. Hobgood (USA), 31, and dangerous local wildcard and former event finalist, Manoa Drollet (PYF), 29.

“I knew that wave wasn’t going to be much from the start so I had to do something special,” Smith said. “There are actually some really amazing ramps out there if you can find them. It’s just the landings that are challenging. Fortunately for me on that last one, I was able to land almost on the back of the wave and then bring it down.”

Smith’s progression directly to Round 3 became all the more meaningful when current ASP No. 2, Taj Burrow (AUS), 32, suffered a shock Round 2 elimination, as did defending event champion Bobby Martinez (USA), 28, and Bede Durbidge (AUS).

Kelly Slater (USA), 38, past nine-time ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 3, survived a close-fought battle against former nemesis and past three-time ASP World Champion, Andy Irons (HAW), 32, and wildcard Heiarii Williams (PYF), 23, to advance directly into Round 3. With the nature of three-man heats, the three backside tube specialists continually pushed one another up the point as they all netted solid scores.

“I actually blew it out there a couple times,” Slater said. “I let Heiarii (Williams) get underneath me on the really good wave, but if I ended up hassling him, Andy (Irons) could have got it. It’s unfortunate when there’re not a lot of waves, and I was trying to play cat and mouse with those guys for most of the heat. Heiarii paddled me deep on every set, he got me on one, and then I was too deep on another and Andy got it. It was tough.”

Dane Reynolds (USA), 24, current ASP World No. 4, rebounded from a Round 1 loss this morning to take out the highest heat total of the event, a 16.27 out of a possible 20, en route to his Round 2 victory over replacement surfer Tim Reyes (USA), 28.

“We actually got a lot of waves and we were trading off a lot out there,” Reynolds said. “It was fun. He’d get a good one, then I got an okay one. I never like sending anyone home, but I don’t like losing either. I guess I just like surfing.”

Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, reigning ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 6, suffered a Round 1 loss this morning, but rebounded in blistering form this afternoon with an impressive 15.00 out of a possible 20 to dispatch Trials Winner Tuamata Puhetini (PYF) and advance through to Round 3.

Taj Burrow, current ASP World No. 2 and last year’s event Runner-Up, suffered the biggest loss of the event thus far, going down to wildcard Manoa Drollet (PYF), 29, in Round 2 of competition.

“I started out doing turns but I don’t think that was a good strategy,” Drollet said. “Taj (Burrow) is so good at doing turns, so I tried to focus on barrels. Fortunately, the right ones came through and I was the winner. To do well here would be a very special thing for me.”

While the usual suspects were standouts today, the ASP’s midyear field reduction from 45 to 34 (Top 32 finishers after five events and two surfer wildcards) following the Billabong Pro Tahiti created some unlikely heroes throughout Rounds 1 and 2 as they battled for survival.

Marco Polo (BRA), 29, current ASP World No. 44, had failed to post an elite tour heat win this season, but caused the upset of the day, defeating two-time defending Billabong Pro Tahiti winner and current ASP World No. 8, Bobby Martinez in Round 2.

“It has taken me all year but to do it in Tahiti against Bobby (Martinez) is so special,” Polo said. “Neco (Padaratz) was in the channel giving me instructions. He was telling me to sit deeper, move this way, move that way, and I got that wave at the end that pushed me through. I’m so happy that I can keep surfing so I hope to do better in the next heat.”

Blake Thornton (AUS), 25, also current ASP World No. 44, was another to post an inaugural win today, smashing his Round 1 heat with a 15.50 out of a possible 20. Despite the slow conditions, Thornton netted a backside bomb in the last minute to score a 9.00 out of a possible 10 and rocket from third to first and advance through to Round 3.

South Africa’s Travis Logie, rated equal No. 30 coming into the event and needing to advance through at least one round to stay in contention for the mid-year cut-off, narrowly lost his opening heat. The Durbanite faces a do-or-die encounter against veteran Australian campaigner Kieren Perrow in Heat 12 of Round 2.

Despite the possibility for surfers to fail making the midyear cut from Monday’s action, everyone is still in the hunt to qualify for the Top 32. A full breakdown of ASP World Title Rankings possibilities, including the ASP midyear field reduction, for the Billabong Pro Tahiti are available at ASPWorldTour.com

When competition resumes, up first will be Taylor Knox (USA), 39, up against Jay Thompson (AUS), 28, in Heat 7 of Round 2 of the Billabong Pro Tahiti.

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 6am (6pm South African time) to assess conditions for a possible 6:30am start.

Surfline, official forecasters for the Billabong Pro Tahiti, are calling for the current south-southwest swell to fade throughout tomorrow, with a small mix of south and southwest swell on offer for the end of the waiting period.

Highlights from today’s Billabong Pro Tahiti will be available via http://www.billabongpro.com/tahiti10/

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Damien Hobgood (USA) 10.07, Jay Thompson (AUS) 1.83, Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 1.00
Heat 2: Luke Stedman (AUS) 10.33, Nate Yeomans (USA) 8.83, Jadson Andre (BRA) 4.40
Heat 3: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 12.16, Marco Polo (BRA) 5.33, Bobby Martinez (USA) 5.33
Heat 4: Blake Thornton (AUS) 15.50, Tom Whitaker (AUS) 12.00, Dane Reynolds (USA) 11.60
Heat 5: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 9.66, Tim Reyes (USA) 5.34, Roy Powers (HAW) 2.73
Heat 6: Joan Duru (FRA) 10.10, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 7.60, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 6.90
Heat 7: Tamaroa McComb (PYF) 14.77, Mick Fanning (AUS) 9.50, Adam Melling (AUS) 5.70
Heat 8: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.30, Manoa Drollet (PYF) 10.40, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 8.41
Heat 9: Tiago Pires (PRT) 13.66, Taj Burrow (AUS) 11.40, Tuamata Puhetini (PYF) 10.43
Heat 10: Kelly Slater (USA) 14.00, Andy Irons (HAW) 13.97, Heiarii Williams (PYF) 12.57
Heat 11: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.50, Dusty Payne (HAW) 9.03, Drew Courtney (AUS) 0.20
Heat 12: Owen Wright (AUS) 11.27, Brett Simpson (USA) 8.53, Neco Padaratz (BRA) 7.73
Heat 13: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 11.93, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 11.46, Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 8.43
Heat 14: Michel Bourez (PYF) 13.23, Dean Morrison (AUS) 9.00, Mick Campbell (AUS) 5.43
Heat 15: Luke Munro (AUS) 14.03, Travis Logie (ZAF) 12.94, Taylor Knox (USA) 9.93
Heat 16: Ben Dunn (AUS) 10.87, Chris Davidson (AUS) 7.90, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 6.92

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Manoa Drollet (PYF) 14.76 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 12.33
Heat 2: Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.00 def. Tuamata Puhetini (PYF) 7.27
Heat 3: Heiarii Williams (PYF) 14.03 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 13.43
Heat 4: Dane Reynolds (USA) 16.27 def. Tim Reyes (USA) 12.50
Heat 5: Marco Polo (BRA) 9.84 def. Bobby Martinez (USA) 7.83
Heat 6: Nate Yeomans (USA) 12.73 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 9.00

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI REMAINING ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 7: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. Jay Thompson (AUS)
Heat 8: Chris Davidson (AUS) vs. Drew Courtney (AUS)
Heat 9: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Neco Padaratz (BRA)
Heat 10: Andy Irons (HAW) vs. Tanner Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 11: Adam Melling (AUS) vs. Mick Campbell (AUS)
Heat 12: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 13: Roy Powers (HAW) vs. Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 14: Tom Whitaker (AUS) vs. Dean Morrsion (AUS)
Heat 15: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 16: Dusty Payne (HAW) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)

Ends

Visit the Press Room on www.aspworldtour.com for news, images, transcribed athlete interviews and more.

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Media
Dave Prodan
email: dave@aspworldtour.com
USA mobile: +1 949 678 0987
AUS mobile: +61 (0) 400 455 228

EVENT MEDIA
Billabong Pro Media Manager
Johnathan “JJ” Jenkins
email: johnathan.jenkins@billabong.com.au

Digital Photographs:
High-resolution digital images for newspapers and Internet sites are available via the ASP Digital Images Department – please contact kirstin@aspworldtour.com

Issued on behalf of:

ASP Africa
Contact: Colin Fitch – Operations Manager
Tel: 021 534 5738
Email: colin@aspafrica.com

Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax: +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile: +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email: lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

About ASP: The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the recognized world governing body of professional surfing and has been crowning surfing’s undisputed World Champions since 1976. The ASP sanctions and crowns World Champions for the following tours: the ASP World Tour, the ASP Women’s World Tour, ASP World Junior Tour, ASP World Longboard and Masters Championships.
The ASP is dedicated to showcasing the world’s best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and has revolutionized the way the world watches surfing via their webcasts and other media platforms. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Japan, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South America.

Billabong Pro Tahiti pres. By Air Tahiti Nui
Stop No. 5 of 10 on the 2010 ASP World Tour
Teahupoo, Taiarapu/Tahiti
August 23 – September 3, 2010

Jordy Smith the Top Seed as World’s Best Surfers get set for Billabong Pro Tahiti
 
TEAHUPOO, Taiarapu/Tahiti (Saturday, August 21, 2010) – The greatest assemblage of surfing talent in history is converging upon the idyllic South Pacific island of Tahiti, home of the world’s heaviest wave, Teahupoo, for Stop No. 5 of 10 on the 2010 ASP World Tour, the Billabong Pro Tahiti.

Completing the halfway point of the 2010 ASP World Tour season, the Billabong Pro Tahiti plays a vital role in both the hunt for the 2010 ASP World Title and the midyear field reduction from the ASP Top 45 to the Top 34.
 
Jordy Smith (ZAF), 22, current ASP World No. 1, is into his third season on the elite ASP World Tour, but enters into the Billabong Pro Tahiti as the No. 1 seed, a career first for the young South African.
 
“Most important for me is to realize that it’s not always going to be a walk in the park,” Smith said. “Being No. 1 is much like being No. 2, 3 or 4 as there is still a long way to go this season. I am working heat to heat, and that is really all that I can do. My goals are to win heats and stay in range to win battles which, in the end, win the war. A win would be great.”
 
Despite having yet to net a solid result in Tahiti (a 17th in 2008 and a 9th in 2009), Smith’s growing familiarity with the wave gives him confidence moving forward.
 
“Teahupoo is known for its power and stands alone as one of the most unique waves in the world,” Smith said. “I don’t think there is any surfer on the planet who does not respect it, even if it’s breaking at a mid-range size. As perfect as it gets, it can still crush your dreams even if you favour big waves, and I don’t think anyone gets into a comfort zone out there. You can’t get too cheeky.”
 
With the added intensity of the midyear field reduction and the minefield of Teahupoo specialists lining the wildcard ranks, Smith understands the challenge awaiting him in this island paradise.
 
“The wildcards and lower seeds will be going all out to get themselves back into the Top 32 seeds for re-qualifying so I guess we are going to see some really good performances from them – or whoever for that matter,” Smith said. “If we go back and look at the veteran standout World Tour campaigners, maybe Kelly (Slater), Andy (Irons), the Hobgoods, among a few others, also with the mix of all the specialists could be dangerous. Even the local boys could possibly come away with a surprise win.”
 
Smith’s opening heat will be a real test of his competitive skills as he takes on two of Teahupoo’s standouts in former ASP World Champion (2001) C.J. Hobgood (USA), 31, and 2008 event runner-up and wildcard Manoa Drollet (PYF) in Round 1 of competition.
 
Mick Fanning (AUS), 29, reigning ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 6, has been a consistent performer thus far in 2010, but admits that not being a top seed in Tahiti is not necessarily a bad thing.
 
“I am not the top seed heading into Tahiti which may actually be a blessing,” Fanning said. “I think you need to avoid the wildcards in Tahiti as they are so dangerous. I am just going to try and put a smart event together and hope to get a solid result.
 
However, Fanning, the No. 4 seed in Tahiti, will have a wildcard in his Round 2 heat as he takes on the runner-up in the Air Tahiti Nui VonZipper Trials, Tamaroa McComb (PYF), and in form 2010 ASP Dream Tour rookie Adam Melling (AUS), 25, who was runner-up to Jordy Smith at Jeffreys Bay in the last ASP World Tour event.
 
Bobby Martinez (USA), 28, current ASP World No. 8 and defending Billabong Pro Tahiti Champion, has historically been one of the strongest performers at Teahupoo, but the lethal goofy-footer remains cautious when considering his options for the 2010 instalment.
 
“Nothing is on my mind other than trying my best in the next event,” Martinez said. “There’s no point in thinking ahead of yourself. Every contest holds your hopes of winning a World Title so you’ve got to do the best in each contest or else there is no chance at all.”
 
Despite the certainty of hungrier performances from those looking to make the midyear field cutoff, the Californian maintains that  everyone can be a threat at this level of competition, especially in Tahiti.
 
“I do think the lower seeds will be intense in Tahiti, but I expect that from everybody on this tour in every heat in every event,” Martinez said.  “If you don’t give 100% in every event, you will not be here the following year so I think it’ll be a very interesting contest. That said, it’s like that every contest. Anyone and everyone is a contender in Tahiti. Nobody is a favourite and nobody is an underdog in my eyes. And it’s not just in this contest, but every contest. At this level, anyone can beat anyone.”
 
Martinez will face Jeremy Flores (FRA), 22, and Marco Polo (BRA), 29, in his opening round match.
 
Andy Irons (HAW), 32, former three-time ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 18, took a sabbatical from full-time competing in 2009 and his transition back to the competition singlet this season as yielded moments of brilliance amidst an overall building momentum.
 
“The season went the way I thought it would be – hard,” Irons said. Everyone is surfing really well and you basically can’t skip a beat or you’re off the tour. I’m feeling stronger and stronger at every comp. On my time off, I have been putting in some extra time in at the gym and I think it’s starting to pay off.”
 
A former winner at the Billabong Pro Tahiti, the Hawaiian’s performances at the treacherous lefthander have become the stuff of legend and Irons enters into this year’s event as the man to watch.
 
“Teahupoo is one of my favourite contests, that’s for sure,” Irons said. “I love the wave. I love the tropical vibe as well. It’s like being home for me. Of course, everyone is going to be charging at this year’s event regardless. The field reduction is a heavy thing and it weighs on everyone’s mind. Everyone wants to keep there job.”
 
Irons will take on former nine-time ASP World Champion and multiple Billabong Pro Tahiti winner Kelly Slater (USA), 38, and wildcard Heiarii Williams (PYF) in Round 1 of competition.
 
The major storyline threading its way through the upcoming Billabong Pro Tahiti is the mid-year field reduction of the ASP Top 45 to 34 (Top 32 finishers plus two wildcards) following the battle at Teahupoo.

Durban’s Travis Logie is one of those on the cusp of re-qualifying and is currently in a three-way tie for the No. 30 ranking. With another five potential qualifiers one spot back ranked equal 33rd, Logie needs to win at least one heat at Teahupoo to give himself a solid chance of staying on the 2010 ASP World Tour.

Logie competed four times in Tahiti while campaigning on the Dream Tour between 2005 and 2008, twice winning his Round 1 encounters and reaching Round 3 on three occasions, including recording the highest heat tally in Round 2 in his debut season. He faces veteran Taylor Knox (USA) and Luke Munro (AUS) in his Round 1 heat this year.
 
A full breakdown of ASP World Title Rankings possibilities for the Billabong Pro Tahiti are available at ASPWorldTour.com
 
The waiting period for the Billabong Pro Tahiti will begin Monday, August 23 and runs through September 3, 2010.
 
Surfline, official forecasters for the Billabong Pro Tahiti, are calling for a slow start to the contest waiting period with a very modest mix of southwest swells providing contestable, but small scale, surf on Monday and Tuesday.
 
The Billabong Pro Tahiti will be webcast LIVE via http://www.billabongpro.com/tahiti10/. The time difference between Tahiti and South Africa is 12 hours with the decision on when to get the event underway made at approximately 7pm SA time daily
 
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
 
BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS
Heat 1: Damien Hobgood (USA), Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), Jay Thompson (AUS)
Heat 2: Jadson Andre (BRA), Luke Stedman (AUS), Nate Yeomans (USA)
Heat 3: Bobby Martinez (USA), Jeremy Flores (FRA), Marco Polo (BRA)
Heat 4: Dane Reynolds (USA), Tom Whitaker (AUS), Blake Thornton (AUS)
Heat 5: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Roy Powers (HAW), Tim Reyes (USA)
Heat 6: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Kieren Perrow (AUS), Joan Duru (FRA)
Heat 7: Mick Fanning (AUS), Adam Melling (AUS), Tamaroa McComb (PYF)
Heat 8: Jordy Smith (ZAF), C.J. Hobgood (USA), Manoa Drollet (PYF)
Heat 9: Taj Burrow (AUS), Tiago Pires (PRT), Tuamata Puhetini (PYF)
Heat 10: Kelly Slater (USA), Andy Irons (HAW), Heiarii Williams (PYF)
Heat 11: Adrian Buchan (AUS), Dusty Payne (HAW), Drew Courtney (AUS)
Heat 12: Owen Wright (AUS), Brett Simpson (USA), Neco Padaratz (BRA)
Heat 13: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Tanner Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 14: Michel Bourez (PYF), Dean Morrison (AUS), Mick Campbell (AUS)
Heat 15: Taylor Knox (USA), Luke Munro (AUS), Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 16: Chris Davidson (AUS), Patrick Gudauskas (USA), Ben Dunn (AUS)
 
 Ends
Visit the Press Room on www.aspworldtour.com for news, images, transcribed athlete interviews and more.
 
Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Media
Dave Prodan
email: dave@aspworldtour.com
USA mobile: +1 949 678 0987
AUS mobile: +61 (0) 400 455 228

EVENT MEDIA
Billabong Pro Media Manager
Johnathan “JJ” Jenkins
email: johnathan.jenkins@billabong.com.au

Digital Photographs:
High-resolution digital images for newspapers and Internet sites are available via the ASP Digital Images Department – please contact kirstin@aspworldtour.com
 

Issued on behalf of:

ASP Africa
Contact:            Colin Fitch – Operations Manager
Tel:                   021 534 5738
Email:               colin@aspafrica.com

Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel:              +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax:             +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile:         +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

About ASP:
The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the governing body of professional surfing. Crowning surfing’s undisputed world champions since 1976, the ASP sanctions the following tours: the ASP World Tour, the ASP Women’s World Tour, the World Qualifying Series (WQS) and the World Longboarding, Junior and Masters Championships. The ASP is dedicated to showcasing the world’s best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and has revolutionized the way the world watches surfing via their webcasts. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South America.

 

 

 

THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF TEAHUPO’O

32 TRIALS INVITEES PREPARE FOR THE RIDES OF THEIR LIVES! 

in the Air Tahiti Nui VonZipper Trials

(Tuesday, August 3^rd, 2010) South African surfer Dale Staples (St Francis Bay) is among an elite field of 32 internationals who have been invited to contest the prestigious Air Tahiti Nui VonZipper Trials scheduled to take place at the notorious break of “Teahupo’o” in Tahiti over four days beginning August 16^th.

The Air Tahiti Nui VonZipper Trials is a precursor to stop 5 on the ASP Men’s World Tour, the Billabong Pro, Tahiti and only the winner is guaranteed a wildcard seed direct into the Billabong Pro’s elite main event. A second position is open to the highest placed local Tahitian surfer.

All surfers have been chosen based on previous performances at either Teahupo’o or abroad, and for their dedication to riding the world’s most intimidating surf spots.

The nature of the Teahupo’o break and the intensity of competition make the competition like no other. In surfing circles, the trials winner is lauded as a minor hero – required to put his life on the line inside the huge barrels that break across dangerously shallow, tropical reef – and the respect earned from his peers is on par with the eventual champion of the main event.

From there, further glory lies in overcoming one of the Billabong Pro’s top three seeds in Round 1 of the main event. In 2010 those seeds include current world ranked no. 1, Jordy Smith (Durban, ZAF), world ranked no. 2 Taj Burrow (WA, AUS) and world ranked no. 3 Kelly Slater (Fl, USA).

Historically, the Air Tahiti Nui VonZipper Trials champions have a habit of putting a dent in the world title campaigns of their top-seeded rivals. Most notably in 2007 when relative unknown Brazilian Bruno Santos and local wildcard Manoa Drollet went all the way to the final, finishing first and second respectively.

Drollet is a two-time trials winner at Teahupo’o and sits at the top of the wildcard heap. As a result, the 34 year-old has earned a seed direct into the main event in 2010.

Billabong Pro, Tahiti competition director and former world no. 2, Luke Egan (Gold Coast, AUS) says Drollet’s performances at the infamous break surpass anything he has witnessed during his career as a competitor and previous four years as Contest Director.

“Manoa’s surfing over the years at Teahupo’o is regularly above and beyond anything I have seen from any of the Top 45 rated men,” said Egan.

“There is not one world rated surfer in the competition, from Kelly Slater down, who will risk holding back when Manoa is in the water. He is the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons at Teahupo’o. It’s very probable that by having him in the competition he could knock out one of the top guys and it will affect the world title race.”

Along with 32 internationals, an additional field of 32 local Tahitian surfers make up the total trials field of 64.

The VonZipper Air Tahiti Nui trials begins from August 16^th.

A series of pre-event webisodes will be made available over coming days and weeks for websites. Stand by for further info.

Air Tahiti Nui VonZipper Trials

2010 Official International Invitees

HAWAII
Jon Florence
Conan Hayes
Bruce Irons
Danny Fuller
Sion Miloski
Kamalei Alexander
Reef McIntosh
Ian Walsh
Kalani Chapman
Marcus Hickman
Steven Koehene
Gavin Gillette
Jamie Sterling
Hank Gaskell
Clay Marzo

USA
Dane Ward

AUSTRALIA
Wade Goodall
Ryan Callinan
Laurie Towner
Nick Vasicek
Anthony Walsh
Koby Abberton
Mark Matthews
Damien Wills
Ryan Hipwood

PERU
Alvaro Malpartida
Gabriel Villaran

BRAZIL
Ricardo Do Santos

Puerto Rico  
Alejandro Moreda

JAPAN 
Takayuki Wakita

FRANCE
Ben Sanchez

New Zealand
Blair Stewart

South Africa 
Dale Staples

Air Tahiti Nui VonZipper Trials 

Former Champions

2009 Heiarii Williams (PFY)
2008 Jamie O’Brien (HAW)
2007 Manoa Drollet (PFY)
2006 Heiarii Williams (PFY)
2005 Manoa Drollet (PFY)
2004 Heimata Carroll (PFY)
2003 Alain Riou (PFY)

2002 Vetea David (PFY)

2001 Bruce Irons (HAW)

 Celebrating 10 years of the Billabong Pro, Tahiti!

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT INFO:

Trials highlights and TV newsfeed will be made available, contact:

“JJ” – Billabong Int. Event Media Manager.
Mob: +61 (0) 421 384 431
johnathan.jenkins@billabong.com.au

Rights free digital photos and full press release will also be made available via ASP Australasia contact:

Steve Robertson
+61 (0) 407 706874
steve@surfingaustralia.com 

Please Note: High resolution versions of the above images are available to South African MEDIA outlets from Life’s a Beach Communications – see contact details below.

Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel:              +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax:             +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile:         +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

South African girls Sarah Baum and Chantelle Rautenbach have advanced to the last 12 in the US Open of Surfing as the top seeds and former champions tumbled out of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 6-Star rated women’s event at Huntington Beach in California.

Both Baum, 16, from Athlone Park in KZN and Rautenbach, 20, from Melkbosstrand, started their campaigns for the priceless ratings points and ground-breaking US $50 000 winner’s prize-money in Round 1 of the event and yesterday progressed through three rounds of competition against the world’s top female professional surfers.

While the likes of reigning three-time ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), fellow ASP Dream Tour campaigners Coco Ho (HAW), Sofia Mulanovich (PER), Lee-Ann Curren (FRA) and SA’s Rosanne Hodge, along with defending event champion Courtney Conlogue (USA), were eliminated in the tricky one metre conditions, Baum and Rautenbach both finished runners-up in all their heats to reach the round before the quarterfinals.

Baum, who placed seventh overall in the US Open Pro Junior Women’s event on Sunday, has already matched her best result in a Star-rated event this year and faces former Dream Tour standout Jacqueline Silva (BRA) and Alana Blanchard (HAW) today with the top two advancing to the one-on-one quarterfinal heats.

By reaching Round 4, Rautenbach has recorded her best result of 2010 and will be up against current ASP World No. 8 Carissa Moore (HAW) and wildcard Lakey Peterson (USA) when competition resumes.

Women’s ASP 6-Star action will kick off today’s (Tuesday) schedule with the Round of 12 before beginning the men’s ASP PRIME event with the Round of 128. For all of the LIVE action log on to www.usopenofsurfing.com

US Open of Surfing Women’s Round of 24 Results:

Heat 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) 14.94, Laura Enever (AUS) 14.67, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 14.37, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 10.30
Heat 2: Lakey Peterson (USA) 9.50, Tyler Wright (AUS) 9.07, Sayuri Hashimoto (JPN) 10.10, Paige Hareb (NZL) 4.00
Heat 3: Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) 7.33, Chantelle Rautenbach (ZAF) 6.66, Malia Manuel (HAW) 6.40, Felicity Palmateer (AUS) 4.87
Heat 4: Justine Dupont (FRA) 11.83, Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 8.50, Sage Erickson (USA) 7.73, Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 4.43
Heat 5: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 17.17, Sarah Baum (ZAF) 13.60, Cannelle Bulard (REU) 7.70, Karina Petroni (USA) 6.17
Heat 6: Alana Blanchard (HAW) 11.57, Nicola Atherton (AUS) 8.93, Claudia Goncalves (BRA) 5.07, Mizuki Hagiwara (JPN) 3.95

+++++++++++++++++++

SA Surfers chase rankings points in California and England

South Africa’s top men will be in action at Huntington Beach in California and Newquay in England this week as they chase invaluable ratings points towards qualification for the ASP Dream Tour.

Jordy Smith, who heads both the ASP World Title Race and ASP World Tour rankings, is the top seed in the ASP Prime-rated Hurley US Open of Surfing which features a stellar 156 man field of the world’s top surfers vying for the massive US $100 000 winner’s payout.

Smith starts in the Round of 96 along with the rest of the top 42 seeds and six wildcards who include fellow Durbanites David Weare and Brandon Jackson. With the trials completed, the Round of 128 starts today and features former Capetonian Damien Fahrenfort, now living in California, Royden Bryson (Hout Bay) and Rudy Palmboom Jnr. (Bluff).

Meanwhile a solid contingent of Saffas will commence their campaigns in the ASP 5-Star Relentless Boardmasters at Fistral Beach in Newquay where SA’s Travis Logie (Durban) is the top seed.

Logie is joined by former event winner Antonio Bortoletto (Durban), former ASP Dream Tour member Ricky Basnett (Bluff) and a host of aspiring SA Pro Juniors, including Chad du Toit (Berea), Klee Strachan (Winkelspruit), Brendon Gibbens and Michael February (both Kommetjie), Beyrick de Vries and Kyle Lane (both Umhlanga) and more.

All the action can be followed live via the webcast at www.relentlessboardmasters.com

+++++++++++++++++++++

Beyrick de Vries takes fifth place in Bali

Much traveled 17 year-old, Beyrick de Vries, was one of the stars in the Billabong Pro Junior Bali, taking down a host of the top seeds from Australia, Japan and Indonesia on his way to a fifth place finish.

While Kyle Galloway was an early casualty, Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh) advanced through two rounds and David van Zyl (Glenashley) through three to the round of 32.

Enjoying the world-class conditions at Keramas, rated by de Vries as one of the best contest waves in the world, the Umhlanga based teenager ousted the likes of highly rated Davey Cathels (AUS) and defending event champion Sam Wrench (AUS) before falling victim to the dreaded ‘Bali-belly’ prior to his quarterfinal clash with former Kommetjie surfer Thomas Woods, now living with his family on Australia’s Gold Coast.

Woods was subsequently eliminated by older brother James in the semis before Wade Carmichael (AUS) clinched the title in a come-from-behind victory after the elder Woods started the final with a near-perfect 9.0 ride.

De Vries currently occupies the No. 4 slot on the ASP Africa Pro Junior Men’s rankings and is in line for one of the four coveted invitations to the inaugural ASP World Pro Junior Championship Series. The Series starts with the Oakley World Junior in Bali (Oct 2-13) and crowns the 2010 ASP World Pro Junior Champion at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships at North Narrabeen in Sydney, Australia (Jan 8-16, 2011).

There is one ASP Africa Pro Junior event remaining, the Billabong Pro Junior at Victoria Bay (September 1-4), before the top four on the rankings plus the highest rated Pro Junior on the ASP World Tour rankings receive their sought-after invitations.

++++++++++++++++++++

Historic clean sweep of local ASP events by SA surfers

Greg Emslie’s victory in the 4-Star rated O’Neill Cold Water Classic in Cape Town last Thursday, combined with Jordy Smith’s earlier victories in the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay and the Mr Price Pro Ballito, completed an historic clean sweep by local surfers of all three ASP events staged in this country.

SA’s two top-earning pro surfers also rewrote the record books in many other ways with Emslie (East London) going one better than Royden Bryson, the runner-up in the CWC in Cape Town last year, to become the first winner of the contest since it became an ASP sanctioned event.

And Smith’s triumph in J-Bay made him the first SA winner of an ASP World Tour event and the first to lead the ASP World Title Race rankings, which will determine the 2010 ASP World Champion, since Shaun Tomson back in the mid-80’s.

Meanwhile his win in the Mr Price Pro saw the 22 year-old Durbanite become only the third SA surfer to capture the title after Tomson (1973-78) and Ricky Basnett (2006) in the event that crowned its first champion back in 1969! And at the same time Smith rose to the top of the ASP World Rankings which combine the all the ASP World Tour, Prime and Star rated events.

Other notable achievements in the annual mid-year ASP events included Royden Bryson (Hout Bay) taking sole possession of the lead in the O’Neill Cold Water Classic Series rankings ahead of Australians Stuart Kennedy, Dion Atkinson and Shaun Cansdell with three if the five events completed. The Series winner collects US $50 000 after the final event in Santa Cruz, California in October.

Capetonian Sean Holmes once again confirmed his status as the Dream Tour’s most dangerous wildcard by carving his way through the world’s top surfers to reach the quarter-finals of the Billabong Pro J-Bay for the third time, notably eliminating nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) and three-time ASP World Champion Andy Irons (HAW) at Supertubes on the same day.

And Casey Grant’s (Scottburgh) runner-up finish to Jordy Smith in the Mr Price Pro Ballito was the first time two South Africans had contested the final of an ASP 5-Star rated event anywhere in the world.

ASP World Title Race Rankings: Top 5 (after Event No. 4 – Billabong Pro J-Bay):

1. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 28500 pts
2. Taj Burrow (AUS) 24750 pts
3. Kelly Slater (USA) 23500 pts
4. Dane Reynolds (USA) 20000 pts
5. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 19500 pts
6. Mick Fanning (AUS) 19250 pts
7. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 18750 pts
8. Bobby Martinez (USA) 16500 pts
9. Jadson Andre (BRA) 16000 pts
10. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 14750 pts

South Africans

30. Travis Logie (ZAF) 6500 pts

ASP World Rankings: Top 5 (after event No. 30 – O’Neill Cold Water Classic, Cape Town):

1 Smith,Jordy ZAF 34428
2 Burrow,Taj AUS 30625
3 De Souza,Adriano BRA 23807
4 Slater,Kelly USA 23500
5 Durbidge,Bede AUS 22683

South Africans (top 200 of 885)

27 Logie, Travis ZAF 10651
39 Bryson, Royden ZAF 8560
66 Palmboom, Rudy ZAF 5372
91 Jackson, Brandon ZAF 4094
105 Weare, David ZAF 3367
120 Basnett, Ricky ZAF 2993
132 Joubert, Shaun ZAF 2819
141 Gibbens, Brendon ZAF 2576
153 Grant, Casey ZAF 2218
164 Fahrenfort, Damien ZAF 1985
180 De Vries, Beyrick ZAF 1611
195 Staples, Dale ZAF 1504
200 Du Toit, Chad ZAF 1395

Ends

Issued on behalf of:

ASP Africa
Contact: Colin Fitch – Operations Manager
Tel: 021 534 5738
Email: colin@aspafrica.com

Compiled & Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax: +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile: +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email: lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

About ASP:

The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the governing body of professional surfing. Crowning surfing’s undisputed world champions since 1976, the ASP sanctions the following tours: the ASP World Tour, the ASP Women’s World Tour, the World Qualifying Series (WQS) and the World Longboarding, Junior and Masters Championships. The ASP is dedicated to showcasing the world’s best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and has revolutionized the way the world watches surfing via their webcasts. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South America.

Jordy Smith was crowned the Billabong Pro J-Bay 2010 champion at Jeffreys Bay today, convincingly defeating Adam Melling from Australia in the final to become the first South African surfer to win an ASP World Tour event since the legendary Shaun Tomson back in the mid-eighties and cementing the 22 year-old Durbanite’s position at the top of the ASP World Title Race Rankings.

Smith’s maiden victory and ascension to the rankings lead in home waters could not have been scripted better, coming on master statesman Nelson Mandela’s birthday and adding further momentum to the tremendous outpouring of South African sporting pride following the successful hosting of the FIFA World Cup.

Coming into Stop No. 4 of 10 on the 2010 ASP World Tour ranked ASP World No. 2, Smith was the form surfer throughout the event. He stamped his authority on the final from the outset, locking in excellent scores of 8.90 and 9.03 in the first five minutes to leave his opponent in a combination situation and needing to improve on both his scores throughout the 35 minute match-up.

“This is the best day of my life,” a beaming Smith said on the podium. “The crowd on the beach has been supporting me the last few days and hearing the cheers and the Vuvuzelas just get me fired up to perform. It feels like they’re pushing me along. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

“I knew the swell was dying and I had to take advantage of every wave that came through,” Smith said of the final. “Adam (Melling) is such a dangerous surfer. He’s been in form all day and I knew that if he got the waves, he would get the scores. I went out there knowing I had to open up strong.”

Smith defeated Nate Yeomans (USA), Owen Wright (AUS) and Adriano De Souza (BRA) before facing his biggest test in the semifinal against Bede Durbidge (AUS). The experienced Australian seemingly had a berth in the final sewn up with the swell dropping and less than three minutes remaining. However, urged to catch a hip- high wave by his advisers on the dunes, Smith raced down the line and punted a high-risk ‘Superman’ aerial that he landed successfully and performed a couple more moves before the ride ended.

In a classic never-say-die effort before the scores for the ride were even in, Smith then paddled into what was to be the last wave of the heat which opened up and allowed him to execute a series of progressive manoeuvres. Needing 7.41 to advance, his score of 7.93 resulted in rapturous applause and a cacophony of vuvuzelas and cheering from the packed partisan crowd basking in the mid-winter sunshine.

“I’m still not too sure what happened – it’s all a blur,” Smith said of the semifinal. “I got that first one where I did the little grab air that I didn’t think was good, but the judges scored the whole wave pretty well. Then I backed it up and put everything I had into it.”

Melling’s “Cinderella” climb to the finals was nothing short of sensational. Rated a lowly 41st on the ASP World Title Race rankings heading into Jeffreys Bay, the 2010 ASP Dream Tour rookie who had not won a single heat in the first three events of the year powered his way through five rounds of competition, including defeating compatriot and 2007 Billabong Pro J-Bay winner Taj Burrow in the semifinals. His runner-up finish sees the Australian bumped up to ASP World No. 19, well inside the safety zone for the dreaded mid-year reduction in the field from 45 to 32.

“The ocean didn’t cooperate with me in the final so that’s a shame, but I couldn’t be happier,” Melling said. “We had amazing waves and to get the best result of my career is huge. I came into Jeffreys with a long road ahead if I was to make the mid-year cut-off, and now that I’m 19th, I feel like I have a bit of a buffer heading into Tahiti. I worked really hard to get here and I want to stay here.”

Durbidge suffered one of the hardest losses of the event, having victory snatched from him by Smith’s last-minute heroics. Despite the bitter loss, Durbidge’s equal third place finish vaults him from 10th to 7th on the ASP World Title Race rankings heading into the fifth event of the year.

“I had him comboed with only four minutes to go,” Durbidge said of the semifinal against Smith. “He took off on that one-footer and pulled a ‘Superman’ air and finished off well, then came out and got another one. I think he got two waves in a minute or something. It’s a hard way to lose, but a semifinal is my best result of the year and it’s something to build on. The focus is on Tahiti now.”

Burrow consistently wowed audiences with his performance from Round 1 onwards, collecting the event’s highest heat total of 18.87 out of 20 in yesterday’s Round 4 to win the Nixon WTA award of a US $10 000 custom built Nixon timepiece. Despite today’s semifinal loss at the hands of Melling, Burrow moves up to the ASP World No. 2 ranking heading into Tahiti.

Sean Holmes’ rampaging run through the event was finally ended by Durbidge in the quarterfinals. The 32 year-old wildcard from Cape Town, who eliminated former ASP World Champions Kelly Slater (USA) and Andy Irons (HAW) yesterday, came within half a point of upsetting Durbidge too, but came up short in the small wind affected waves early this morning.

“The way these guys train and their ability to perform in conditions like this is so good,” Holmes commented after his loss. “On top of his ability, I think Bede (Durbidge) is one of the hardest guys in the world to beat. He’s smart and he’s powerful.”

“Yesterday was a very special day for me. Not so much in terms of my surfing as I’ve definitely surfed better, but more so from a tactical perspective. Kelly (Slater) and Andy (Irons) are the best guys on their days, but I feel like I surfed smart and anticipated what both of them would do in their situations. It paid off and it was a great day for me.”

The superb surf produced at Supertubes for the first three days of the event, and the smaller but still contestable waves today, saw the Billabong Pro J-Bay 2010 completed in the first four days of the 11 day waiting period for the first time since it became an ASP World Tour rated event in 1996.

All the action from the Billabong Pro J-Bay can be viewed live at www.billabongpro.com and where the “video on demand” and ground-breaking “waves on demand” facilities enable every wave surfed in the event to be re-played. All the content is also available on your mobile phone at www.asptogo.com or download the iPhone application ASP ToGo from www.apple/iphone/.

Highlights footage is also available on the channels of Fuel TV (on Top TV in South Africa) and a wrap of the day’s highlights will be broadcast on the SuperSport channels at 10pm this evening and repeated at 7am tomorrow.

The 2010 Billabong Pro J-Bay is proudly supported by Eastern Cape Tourism, Virgin Atlantic, Monster Energy, Vida e Caffe, Corona and Tavcor

Billabong Pro J-Bay 2010
Final Results:
1 – Jordy Smith (ZAF) 17.93 10 000 pts US $50 000
2 – Adam Melling (AUS) 10.00 8 000 pts US $25 000

Billabong Pro J-Bay Semifinal Results: (Winner to final; Loser = 3rd, 6500 points, US $ 14 500
SF 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.83 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.40
SF 2: Adam Melling (AUS) 14.00 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 10.67

Billabong Pro J-Bay Quarterfinal Results: (Winner to semifinals; Loser = 5th, 5250 points, US $10 000)
QF 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 16.43 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 9.20
QF 2: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 12.17 def. Sean Holmes (ZAF) 11.83
QF 3: Taj Burrow (AUS) 11.00 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 3.66
QF 4: Adam Melling (AUS) 16.43 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 5.67

Billabong Pro J-Bay Round 4 Results: (Winner to quarterfinals; Loser = 9th, 3750 points, US $8 000)
Heat 8: Adam Melling (AUS) 17.07 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 11.50

Current ASP World Title Race Top 5 (after South Africa):
1. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 28500 pts
2. Taj Burrow (AUS) 24750 pts
3. Kelly Slater (USA) 23500 pts
4. Dane Reynolds (USA) 20000 pts
5. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 19500 pts
6. Mick Fanning (AUS) 19250 pts
7. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 18750 pts
8. Bobby Martinez (USA) 16500 pts
9. Jadson Andre (BRA) 16000 pts
10. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 14750 pts

South Africans
30. Travis Logie (ZAF) 6500 pts

ENDS

Issued on behalf of:

Billabong South Africa
Contact: Brendon Kegel
Telephone: +27 (0) 42 200 2747
Email: brendon.kegel@billabong.co.za

Compiled and issued by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272 def. Kommetjie 7976 def. South Africa
Tel: +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax: +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile: +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email: lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

South African wildcard Sean Holmes added another scalp to his storied list of giant-killing acts at the Billabong Pro J-Bay when he eliminated current World No. 1 and 9 x ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) from the event in a massive result that has reverberated throughout the ASP World Tour.

Holmes, competing with a back injury incurred on Day 1 of the event that has required extensive physiotherapy and pain-killing injections, waited patiently for the best waves during the 30-minute Round 3 clash before scoring the narrowest of victories over the former four-time J-Bay champion, securing his place in the last 16 by just four-hundredths of a point – 13.10 vs. 13.06 – out of a possible 20.

“I’m definitely feeling a lot of pain in my lower back and am very stiff so I entered the heat knowing that I was going to have to surf smart,” Holmes, 32, from Cape Town explained. “I focused on getting the biggest waves I could and applying as much power as I could.”

“Kelly (Slater) and I have surfed once before out here when it was a bit smaller and he got me by taking off on a lot of insiders. There wasn’t as much opportunity out there today so being selective played a big role.”

Both surfers rode waves in the final minute and Slater, needing just 5.51 to snatch victory, produced a potentially heat-winning ride of 7.23. The judges kept the packed beach on tenterhooks for two minutes after the heat-ending siren had sounded before awarding Holmes 5.77 points and a berth in Round 4 to a roar of patriotic elation.

In his next clash Holmes takes on former 3 x ASP World Champion Andy Irons in a continuation of their long-standing rivalry in which the South African holds the upper-hand with two victories to the Hawaiian’s one.

“Andy (Irons) and I are great friends now so any rivalry that we may have had I don’t think exists anymore,” Holmes commented on his next encounter. “He’s a fantastic surfer and I don’t think he even thinks about who he has in a heat. He just goes out there and does his thing. It will be a fun heat.”

The result has sent shock-waves through the 2010 ASP World Title Race as Slater’s early exit at J-Bay opens the door for a number of the top contenders to take over the No. 1 ranking after this event. The biggest beneficiary could be SA’s Jordy Smith who came into the event ranked No. 2, but the likes of Taj Burrow, fellow Australian and reigning ASP World Champion Mick Fanning, Bobby Martinez (USA) and the rest of the top 10 will be eyeing the opportunity to improve their standings with a good result here.

Slater, who only arrived in Jeffreys Bay at 10am on the opening day of the event on Thursday after a 40 hour, weather delayed trip from the USA, was complimentary of Holmes’ performance and philosophical about the defeat and the rest of the year.

“I never felt in sync here this year,” Slater said. “I’ve been tired ever since I arrived. I’ve been going to bed at 8pm and waking up at 1am. I’ve been up today for 8 hours already. That said, Sean is always in sync out here at Jeffreys. He knows the spot really well and is always on the best waves.”

“It’s a long year ahead. I think I entered this event two or three heats ahead of Jordy (Smith) and if he wins this event, he’ll be two or three heats ahead of me. So I’ve got a month to think about it before the next one. I’ll go home, recharge and focus on Tahiti.”

For the third consecutive day, the Billabong Pro J-Bay started at 7.30am in clean offshore winds. However today’s small one metre waves come from an unusual ESE direction generated by a weather system in the Indian Ocean below Madagascar, forcing the competitors to start their rides halfway down the famed Supertubes point. The predicted new swell from the traditional SSW direction has started to appear and organisers expect the waves to rise to overhead through the day and have scheduled completing Round 3 and at least the first four heats of Round 4 before nightfall.

All the action from the Billabong Pro J-Bay can be viewed live at www.billabongpro.com and also on your mobile phone at www.asptogo.com or download the iPhone application ASP ToGo from www.apple/iphone/. The “video on demand” and ground-breaking “waves on demand” facilities enable every wave surfed in the event to be re-played. Live and highlights footage is available on the channels of Fuel TV (on Top TV in South Africa).

The 2010 Billabong Pro J-Bay has a waiting period that runs from 15-25 July and is proudly supported by Eastern Cape Tourism, Virgin Atlantic, Monster Energy, Vida e Caffe, Corona and Tavcor

Billabong Pro J-Bay 2010

Round 3 Results: (Winner to R4; Loser eliminated in equal 17th place; 1 750 pts; US $6 500)
Heat 5: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.33 def. Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 8.50
Heat 6: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 15.80 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 3.97
Heat 7: Andy Irons (HAW) 12.33 def. Luke Stedman (AUS) 9.43
Heat 8: Sean Holmes (ZAF) 13.10 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 13.06
Heat 9: Taj Burrow (AUS) 13.93 def. Joan Duru (FRA) 10.64
Heat 10: Tiago Pires (PRT) 14.60 def. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 13.80
Heat 11: Dane Reynolds (USA) 13.23 def. Neco Padaratz (BRA) 12.50

Remaining Round 3 Match-Ups:
Heat 12: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 13: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Tim Reyes (USA)
Heat 14: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Dean Morrison (AUS)
Heat 15: Bobby Martinez (USA) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 16: Chris Davidson (AUS) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)

ENDS

Issued on behalf of:

Billabong South Africa
Contact: Brendon Kegel
Telephone: +27 (0) 42 200 2747
Email: brendon.kegel@billabong.co.za

Compiled and issued by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272 def. Kommetjie 7976 def. South Africa
Tel: +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax: +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile: +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email: lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

South African surf star and current World No. 2 Jordy Smith made his legions of local fans happy by powering into the last 16 in the US $400 000 (approx. R3 million) Billabong Pro J-Bay, Africa’s most prestigious surfing event, at Jeffreys Bay on Friday.

Smith produced a consummate display of high performance surfing in the last heat of the day to dispatch dangerous rookie Nate Yeomans (USA) from the event. Using his extensive knowledge of the waves at Supertubes, and the help of his advisers on the dunes, the 22 year-old Durbanite selected the best waves early in the encounter and compiled a winning total by the halfway mark of the 30 minute heat held in glassy but inconsistent one metre waves.

Smith then clinched victory by establishing priority, outstripping the American in a 60 metre paddle-battle to be the first back to the lineup, and used this tactical advantage to see out the remaining time with his opponent needing to replace both his top scores to advance.

Smith faces a tough encounter in Round 4 against 19 year-old rookie Owen Wright who has impressed everyone with his dynamic brand of backhand surfing in his first visit to Supertubes. The lanky 19 year-old has more than justified his billing as Australia’s next ASP World Title challenger and seems able to string together the combinations of progressive manoeuvres that net scores in the excellent range, between 8 and 10 points, on virtually any wave he catches.

Today’s smaller but flawless conditions provided the canvas for several exceptional rides. Australian Jay Thompson was awarded the first perfect 10 point score of the tournament for a ride in which he spent so long behind the falling curtain of water that the crowd looked away, convinced that he had wiped-out, only to issue a roar of disbelief as he emerged from the tube more than 50 metres down the point.

Thompson also racked up scores of 8.33 and 8.27 out of 10 during the same heat, the latter score being discarded in his final tally, to post the event high a heat total of 18.33 out of 20 and take the lead in the Nixon WTA, a specialty award that sees the surfer recording the highest two-wave heat score receiving a custom-made, one-of-a-kind Nixon timepiece valued at around US $10 000!

Day 2 of the Billabong Pro J-Bay started well for the South African contingent when giant-killing wildcard Sean Holmes eliminated Jadson Andre (BRA), the current World No. 4 and the winner of the previous event on the 2010 ASP World Tour in Brazil, in the first heat run. Holmes advanced to a Round 3 clash with top seed Kelly Slater (USA) and can significantly enhance compatriot Smith’s chances of taking over at the top of ASP World Title Race Rankings if he can oust the current World No. 1 who is bidding for an unprecedented 10th world title this year.

Durban’s Travis Logie then improved his chances of surviving the looming cut in the number of ASP World Tour campaigners from the present 45 to just 32 after the next event in Tahiti when he produced a gutsy come-from-behind victory over Australian Luke Munro. Logie waited patiently while Munro built up his wave-count and then unleashed his trademark lightening fast backhand attack on the best wave of the heat to secure his place in Round 3.

Unfortunately Logie could not repeat the feat in a wave-starved Round 4 match-up and, despite delivering the heat high-score of 8.33, he was overtaken by Adrian ‘Ace’ Buchan (AUS) and eliminated in equal 17th place overall, earning 1 750 precious ranking points and banking US $6 500.

The remaining 12 heats in Round 3 will see the event top seeds and those who won their opening clashes on Thursday doing battle in waves that are expected to be bigger than today as a new swell from the SSW arrives at Jeffreys Bay. Surfline, the official surf forecasters for the Billabong Pro J-Bay 2010, predict that Saturday morning will start off on the slow side, but a new, medium size south-southwest swell will build over the afternoon/evening, before dropping on Sunday.

Contest director Mike Parsons will make a call at 7am on when to get the event underway with the encounter between Bede Durbidge (AUS) and Tanner Gudauskas (USA) the first to take to the waves.

All the action from the Billabong Pro J-Bay can be viewed live at www.billabongpro.com and also on your mobile phone at www.asptogo.com or download the iPhone application ASP ToGo from www.apple/iphone/ . Live and highlights footage is available on the channels of Fuel TV (on Top TV in South Africa).

The 2010 Billabong Pro J-Bay has a waiting period that runs from 15-25 July and is proudly supported by Eastern Cape Tourism, Virgin Atlantic, Monster Energy, Vida e Caffe, Corona and Tavcor

Billabong Pro J-Bay 2010

Round 2 Results: (Winner to R3; Loser eliminated in equal 33rd place; 500 pts; US $5 500)
Heat 3: Sean Holmes (ZAF, Cape Town) 13.50 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 11.07
Heat 4: Joan Duru (FRA) 13.83 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 11.50
Heat 5: Tim Reyes (USA) 13.34 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 13.23
Heat 6: Michel Bourez (PYF) 11.86 def. Blake Thornton (AUS) 11.50
Heat 7: Damien Hobgood (USA) 15.04 def. Marco Polo (BRA) 11.30
Heat 8: Jay Thompson (AUS) 18.33 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 14.47
Heat 9: Neco Padaratz (BRA) 11.36 def. Roy Powers (HAW) 10.93
Heat 10: Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 15.03 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 9.00
Heat 11: Brett Simpson (USA) 15.40 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 11.26
Heat 12: Dusty Payne (HAW) 12.83 def. Daniel Ross (AUS) 11.37
Heat 13: Luke Stedman (AUS) 14.14 def. Drew Courtney (AUS) 12.93
Heat 14: Travis Logie (ZAF, Durban) 13.60 def. Luke Munro (AUS) 12.00
Heat 15: Ben Dunn (AUS) 16.33 def. Pat Gudauskas (USA) 9.83
Heat 16: Dean Morrison (AUS) 15.84 def. Mick Campbell (AUS) 9.03

Round 3 Results: (Winner to R4; Loser eliminated in equal 17th place; 1 750 pts; US $6 500)
Heat 1: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 16.67 def. Jay Thompson (AUS) 9.27
Heat 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 12.27 def. Travis Logie (ZAF, Durban) 11.80
Heat 3: Owen Wright (AUS) 17.00 def. Ben Dunn (AUS) 10.74
Heat 4: Jordy Smith (ZAF, Durban) 15.07 def. Nate Yeomans (USA) 9.10

Remaining Round 3 Match-Ups:
Heat 5: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Tanner Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 6: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 7: Luke Stedman (AUS) vs. Andy Irons (HAW)
Heat 8: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Sean Holmes (ZAF, Cape Town)
Heat 9: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Joan Duru (FRA)
Heat 10: Tiago Pires (PRT) vs. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW)
Heat 11: Dane Reynolds (USA) vs. Neco Padaratz (BRA)
Heat 12: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 13: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Tim Reyes (USA)
Heat 14: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Dean Morrison (AUS)
Heat 15: Bobby Martinez (USA) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 16: Chris Davidson (AUS) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)

ENDS

Issued on behalf of:

Billabong South Africa
Contact: Brendon Kegel
Telephone: +27 (0) 42 200 2747
Email: brendon.kegel@billabong.co.za

Compiled and issued by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272 def. Kommetjie 7976 def. South Africa
Tel: +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax: +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile: +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email: lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

Giant-killing South African Sean Holmes again justified his reputation as the ‘uber-wildcard’ by eliminating current World No. 4 Jadson Andre (BRA) to progress to Round 3 when the Billabong Pro J-Bay got underway in 1 to 1.5 metre offshore waves at Supertubes in Jeffreys Bay this morning.

In a tightly contested encounter Holmes led from start to finish, counting scores of 6.0 and 7.50 to outpoint the young Brazilian who won the last stop on the ASP World Tour in his home country in May. The victory sets Holmes up for a highly anticipated clash with current World No. 1 and 9 x ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) in the next round.

“Certainly, any heat in this competition can be difficult,” Holmes commented on his heat against Andre. “Even though Jadson (Andre) hasn’t had a lot of experience here he’s still an excellent surfer. He won the last event at home in Brazil so I wasn’t taking him lightly. That said, I certainly back myself at Jeffreys. I feel comfortable out here in any conditions and I’m happy to advance through.”

“I’ve been looking for the barrel for the past two heats but the conditions haven’t really been conducive to it. Of course I prefer it to be a bit bigger as it suits my surfing better. Conditions permitting, it looks like I may have another heat today so I’ll be focusing on that one before I get too far ahead of myself.”

First light saw clear skies and clean waves peeling down the point with contest director Mike Parsons, head judge Richie Porta and the surfers’ representatives debating whether to run the single or the overlapping dual heat format. While the dual format significantly reduces the time required to complete the event and enables the organisers to make optimum use of the best surf conditions, the inconsistent nature of the bigger set waves eventually settled the matter in favour of the single heat format.

“We have another beautiful day of swell on offer this morning and we’ll be commencing as soon as possible with the first heat looking to start around 7:30am,” Porta, ASP International Head Judge, said. “We’re running 30-minute heats at the moment, but will monitor conditions to see if there is an opportunity to run the Dual Heat System and take advantage of the surf we have today.”

The intention is to run the remaining 14 heats of Round 2 today and, surf permitting, continuing on into the opening heats of Round 3 which would see several of the top seeds in action before nightfall.

All the action from the Billabong Pro J-Bay can be viewed live at www.billabongpro.com and also on your mobile phone at www.asptogo.com or download the iPhone application ASP ToGo from www.apple/iphone/ . Live and highlights footage is available on the channels of Fuel TV (on Top TV in South Africa).

The 2010 Billabong Pro J-Bay has a waiting period that runs from 15-25 July and is proudly supported by Eastern Cape Tourism, Virgin Atlantic, Monster Energy, Vida e Caffe, Corona and Tavcor

Billabong Pro J-Bay 2010
Round 2 Results: (Winner to R3; Loser eliminated in equal 33rd place; 500 pts; US $5 500)
Heat 3: Sean Holmes (Cape Town) 13.50 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 11.07
Heat 4: Joan Duru (FRA) 13.83 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 11.50
Heat 5: Tim Reyes (USA) 13.34 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 13.23
Heat 6: Michel Bourez (PYF) 11.86 def. Blake Thornton (AUS) 11.50

Remaining Round 2 Match-ups:
Heat 7: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Marco Polo (BRA)
Heat 8: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. Jay Thompson (AUS)
Heat 9: Roy Powers (HAW) vs. Neco Padaratz (BRA)
Heat 10: Tom Whitaker (AUS) vs. Tanner Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 11: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 12: Daniel Ross (AUS) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 13: Luke Stedman (AUS) vs. Drew Courtney (AUS)
Heat 14: Luke Munro (AUS) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 15: Pat Gudauskas (USA) vs. Ben Dunn (AUS)
Heat 16: Dean Morrison (AUS) vs. Mick Campbell (AUS)

ENDS

Issued on behalf of:

Billabong South Africa
Contact: Brendon Kegel
Telephone: +27 (0) 42 200 2747
Email: brendon.kegel@billabong.co.za

Compiled and issued by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax: +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile: +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email: lifesabeach@mweb.co.za