SNAPPER ROCKS, Queensland/Australia (Monday, March 6, 2011) – The world’s best surfers lit up the three-to-four foot (1.5 metre) swell on offer at Snapper Rocks today as the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast completed Round 3 of competition.
The opening event of the 2011 ASP World Title season, the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast saw conditions improve for today’s Round 3, with the best performances of the event being logged by the ASP Top 34.
Jordy Smith (ZAF), 23, 2010 ASP World Runner-Up, put in the performance of the day, posting a 17.17 out of a possible 20 for an unmatched affinity with the barrel, massive turns and aerials. The high-fi exhibition was enough to eliminate replacement surfer Cory Lopez (USA), 33.
“I was pretty nervous going into my heat,” Smith said. “Cory (Lopez), I know how well he surfs and I didn’t want to get stuck behind the rocks. Matt (Wilkinson) and those guys psyched me up and it was fun out there surfing with one other guy.”
Finishing Runner-Up at this event last season as well as in the hunt for the ASP World Title, the big South African is confident in his abilities and mind frame in 2011.
“I’m feeling really good,” Smith said. “I feel confident. I have nice boards under my feet and am taking it one event at a time. I’m having fun with it.”
Smith will face Brett Simpson (USA), 26, and Adriano de Souza (BRA), 24, when competition resumes.
Matt Wilkinson (AUS), 22, into his sophomore year amongst the ASP Top 34, put on an electric performance in Round 3 today. The progressive goofy-footer blasted away at the bowly righthanders, netting a 9.27 out of a possible 10 for one of the highest single-wave scores of the day. The performance included at nearly-completed rodeo flip that had the tens of thousands in attendance on the feet.
“It was fun out there,” Wilkinson said. “I think the more nervous I get the better I surf. I paddled out too early and had too much time to think. I didn’t know if I was going to get anything. I nearly pulled a massive rodeo and got excited about halfway though, I was thinking ‘I’ve done everything perfect’ but I think I just spun it a little too much. I thought I had that thing, I was so close. It felt good and it’s good to get the crowd on their feet so I’m stoked. Dane’s (Reynolds) always the most exciting guy at every event so hopefully I can take his spot while he’s not here. I was just trying to find some little waves and find some wally ones.”
It marks a stellar start for the Copacabana kid, one in which he’ll hope to capitalize as the season progresses.
“The whole heat really turns into a blur,” Wilkinson said. “If you get a wave that lines up and you ride it all the way through you’re right back on the ski and back into the lineup looking for another one and still haven’t caught your breath. I’m just happy to be into Round 4.”
Kelly Slater (USA), 39, reigning 10-time ASP World Champion, went out and put on a clinic of his own today, taking down wildcard Matt Banting (AUS), 16, with an incredible display of barrel-riding, progressive turns and aerials.
“I actually started getting a little distracted before my heat because Wilko (Matt Wilkinson) is one of my favorites to watch,” Slater said. “Sometimes he doesn’t make it, but he always pulls something big out of his bag. There are a couple of guys that are really exciting to watch here on their backhand.”
“It was fun,” Slater said. “I got a couple of good waves and fell on the best wave of the heat. I probably would have got a 9 if I just stood there, so that’s a little frustrating. It was a fun heat though. I felt like I had two solid scores. My first board felt good, but I felt like I consolidated on a few good scores and wanted to try a new one (board) out.”
Slater will battle Matt Wilkinson (AUS), 22, and Michel Bourez (PYF), 25, when Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast competition recommences.
Dusty Payne (HAW), 22, into his second year amongst the elite ASP Top 34, caused the upset of the event this morning, eliminating two-time ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS), 29, in their Round 3 clash.
“I’m stoked,” Payne said. “Any time you beat those Top 5 or Top 10 guys, you’ve got to be happy with yourself and I’m happy with my performance. I just wish I could have found another good wave.”
Payne held onto his elite tour spot this season with some 11th hour heroics last December in Hawaii, but the progressive, young natural-footer has taken a more serious approach to his sophomore year amongst the world’s best.
“I’ve been doing a lot of training with Wes Berg and surfing a lot and it’s paying off,” Payne said. “I’m trying to become more confident in these waves because I’ve only surfed here a few times. I got here about three weeks ago and have had some practice, but we don’t really have waves like this at home, we don’t have sand points, it’s only reefs.”
Payne will face Tiago Pires (PRT), 30, and Adrian Buchan (AUS), 28, in Round 4 of competition.
While the men’s action dominated the bulk of the days pro, Round 4 of the Roxy Pro Gold Coast kicked off this morning’s action and the world’s best female surfers tore into the improved conditions.
Tyler Wright (AUS), 16, 2011 ASP Top 17 rookie continued her sensational form at Snapper Rocks, posting the highest heat total of the round, a 16.67 out of a possible 20, and eliminating fellow rookie Pauline Ado (FRA), 20.
“That one wave that I got walled up pretty nice and it was a lot of fun,” Wright said. “A young guy named Jason Jameson makes my boards. He’s just a young guy, only 19, but they’re absolutely amazing, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Wright will take on Silvana Lima (BRA), 26, when competition recommences.
Carissa Moore (HAW), 18, into her second full year competing for the ASP Women’s World Title, capped off the round with an incredible display of forehand surfing to dispatch rookie Courtney Conlogue (USA), 18.
“I had a really good time,” Moore said. “I didn’t have a good last heat so to catch a few, I was really psyched. I knew after watching Courtney (Conlogue) all week that she was going to be a tough one and I’m stoked to come out on top in that heat.”
Moore will face 2005 ASP Women’s World Champion Chelsea Hedges (AUS), 27, in the Quarterfinals when competition resumes.
Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 6:30am to assess conditions for a possible 7:30am start.
QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Dusty Payne (HAW) 11.77 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 11.00
Heat 2: Tiago Pires (PRT) 12.84 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 8.70
Heat 3: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 13.17 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 11.27
Heat 4: Michel Bourez (PYF) 15.60 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 6.76
Heat 5: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 16.60 def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 11.93
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 14.93 def. Matt Banting (AUS) 9.87
Heat 7: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 17.17 def. Cory Lopez (USA) 10.77
Heat 8: Brett Simpson (AUS) 14.60 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 10.67
Heat 9: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 13.54 def. Daniel Ross (AUS) 11.16
Heat 10: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 13.26 def. Owen Wright (AUS) 11.44
Heat 11: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 14.14 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 7.17
Heat 12: Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.27 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 13.94
QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 4 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Dusty Payne (HAW), Tiago Pires (PRT), Adrian Buchan (AUS)
Heat 2: Michel Bourez (PYF), Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Kelly Slater (USA)
Heat 3: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Brett Simpson (USA), Adriano de Souza (BRA)
Heat 4: Alejo Muniz (BRA), Joel Parkinson (AUS), Taj Burrow (AUS)
ROXY PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 4 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Tyler Wright (AUS) 16.67 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 11.50
Heat 2: Laura Enever (AUS) 13.10 def. Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 10.83
Heat 3: Coco Ho (HAW) 15.46 def. Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 5.70
Heat 4: Carissa Moore (HAW) 16.37 def. Courtney Conlogue (USA) 7.44
ROXY PRO GOLD COAST QUARTERFINAL MATCH-UPS:
QF 1: Silvana Lima (BRA) vs. Tyler Wright (AUS)
QF 2: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) vs. Laura Enever (AUS)
QF 3: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) vs. Coco Ho (HAW)
QF 4: Chelsea Hedges (AUS) vs. Carissa Moore (HAW)
