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The Quiksilver Pro got off to a cracking start… but who stood up and who blew it. And what was the crucial moments that mattered. |
Surfing for France Jeremy Florez has to have panache – sorted.
While Dane Reynolds early morning heat may have been a high tide fizzer, once the plug was pulled on the tide and the water drained off the bank a little barrels were ominous. Jeremy Flores and Adrian Buchan winners in heats two and four respectively took to their rails with precise surfing. The Aussie Ace from Avoca Beach one of tracks.com top tips and looking every bit a contender.
Ace Buchan doing the 12 o’clock vert thing.
The next heat was all about the Slater show. Kelly tracked into a high speed carving 360 on his first decent looking wave that silenced the surfers deck and drew cheers from those on the beach. Following that opening lunacy he went on to get barreled bury rail and do a foam ball spinner that was understated genius. He scored an 8.5 o that wave and bettered it to amass an eventual heat-score total of 17.77 – biggest of the day. Kelly’s message to his compatriots in the top 44 loud and crystal clear – that message being that he means business. His two-second place finishes at the tail end of 2009 (The Eddie ad Pipe) have really stoked his desire. Something he’d pointed out at Thursday’s pre-event press conference. Everything seems right with the world when the greatest ever is in the red singlet flying out of barrels from behind Snapper’s volcanic rock. Pleasing the both traditionalists with roundhouse cuties and the younger demographic with future force fins out wraps. “It was fun,” was the reply he gave me post heat.
Poised for a big event, Kelly runs the inside section.
Was he the fastest surfer too? No. Current world champion Mick Fanning was undoubtable that. He may have scored the slightly lower heat total of 17.36 to Kelly but there were less clean opportunities for pits in his heat eight match up with the unluckiest wildcard ever Garret Parkes who sniffed out some tube time but snapped two boards clean in two.
Garrett Parkes and collateral damage / Bobby and Kelly share a moment before Kelly’s heat.
Another heat to draw the undying attention of the peanut gallery was that of Taj Burow, Chris Davidson and Neco Padaratz. The winner of the Pipeline Masters TB carried form into the Quik Pro that included a win in the four star QS … but his luck seemed to dry up for his round one hit out. Davo went to work scoring pair of six’s while Neco never got going in his first event back as an injury wildcard. But the heat was Taj’s to lose. Falling on numerous occasions he was in all sorts. One couldn’t help but think if he cruised a little and not over shot his cracks at the lip he could have got the scores he needed. Davo too, despite winning, didn’t hit his strides. “I was buggered.” He told me after, as he stomped some pasta. Acknowledging he didn’t grab his opportunity to finish the heat on his own terms with a nail in the coffin ride.
Great heel dig from Chris Davidson.
Other solid winner’s were 2009 title runner up Joel Parkinson, rookie Owen Wright, veteran carver Taylor Knox and our high hopes roughie tip Luke Munro.
Standing up to be counted in his rookie year, Owen Wright.
Plenty of losers in the first round had moments of glory but none burned a deeper mental scar than one blinding vertical power snap by Michel Bourez from Tahiti. The surfers loved it and no doubt the judges too. But it was not to be and he fell in the trough. Watch this space.
By Col B
QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Brett Simpson (USA) 10.67, Dane Reynolds (USA) 6.70, Roy Powers (HAW) 6.24
Heat 2: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 12.67, Damien Hobgood (USA) 12.23, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 7.97
Heat 3: Tiago Pires (PRT) 13.26, Bobby Martinez (USA) 12.70, Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 11.94
Heat 4: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.30, Travis Logie (ZAF) 10.36, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 8.26
Heat 5: Kelly Slater (USA) 17.77, Ben Dunn (AUS) 9.50, Marco Polo (BRA) 7.34
Heat 6: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 13.90, Michel Bourez (PYF) 13.47, Blake Thornton (AUS) 8.86
Heat 7: Chris Davidson (AUS) 12.50, Taj Burrow (AUS) 9.13, Neco Padaratz (BRA) 6.64
Heat 8: Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.36, Kai Otton (AUS) 11.53, Garrett Parkes (AUS) 10.77
Heat 9: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 13.17, Blake Ainsworth (AUS) 9.73, Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 6.23
Heat 10: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.57, Mick Campbell (AUS) 14.40, Craig Anderson (AUS) 6.16
Heat 11: Dusty Payne (HAW) 11.60, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 9.10, Drew Courtney (AUS) 4.76
Heat 12: Taylor Knox (USA) 14.83, Luke Stedman (AUS) 10.56, Nathan Yeomans (USA) 8.23
Heat 13: Tom Whitaker (AUS) 10.80, Jay Thompson (AUS) 10.66, Andy Irons (HAW) 5.83
Heat 14: Luke Munro (AUS) 12.73, Daniel Ross (AUS) 11.27, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 9.40
Heat 15: Owen Wright (AUS) 14.10, Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 13.53, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 9.57
Heat 16: Jadson Andre (BRA) 14.94, Adam Melling (AUS) 11.30, Dean Morrison (AUS) 11.17
QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Garrett Parkes (AUS)
Heat 2: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Blake Ainsworth (AUS)
Heat 3: Bobby Martinez (USA) vs. Craig Anderson (USA)
Heat 4: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Neco Padaratz (BRA)
Heat 5: Dane Reynolds (USA) vs. Blake Thornton (AUS)
Heat 6: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Marco Polo (BRA)
Heat 7: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 8: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) vs. Tanner Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 9: Dean Morrison (AUS) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 10: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Nathan Yeomans (USA)
Heat 11: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) vs. Jay Thompson (AUS)
Heat 12: Mick Campbell (AUS) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 13: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 14: Ben Dunn (AUS) vs. Daniel Ross (AUS)
Heat 15: Roy Powers (HAW) vs. Andy Irons (HAW)
Heat 16: Drew Courtney (AUS) vs. Luke Stedman (AUS)
