Giant waves ranging between three and five metres (10 to 15 feet) are expected for the opening day of the Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons which gets underway at the Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii at 8 pm South African time this evening.
The final stop on the 2011 ASP World Title Series and the third jewel of the Vans Triple Crown, the Billabong Pipe Masters runs from today until 20 December and the 48 man field features the world’s top 30 ranked surfers plus wildcards and a dozen specially selected Hawaiian Pipeline specialists.
Kelly Slater (USA), 39, freshly crowned 11-time ASP World Champion and multiple Pipe Masters champion, is the top seed for the event which also features South Africa’s Jordy Smith (Cape Town), Shaun Joubert and Travis Logie (Durban).
Logie will be in action in Heat 4 today against Bruce Irons (HAW), brother of the late three-time ASP World Champion Andy Irons in memory of whom the event is held. Logie will be desperate to advance to the later rounds of the event as he once again finds himself right on the cusp of requalifying for another year at the world’s highest echelons of competitive surfing.
Currently No 33 in the ASP World Series rankings, the 32 year-old Durbanite needs to finish in the top 32 to be guaranteed a spot in the 2012 ASP World Title Race and has demonstrated that he has the credentials to go deep into the draw after his career best third place finish in huge waves in Tahiti in August.
A call on when to start the Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons will be made at 8 am in Hawaii (8 pm in South Africa)
Upcoming Billabong Pipe Masters Round 1 Match Ups:
Heat 1: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) vs. Marcus Hickman (HAW)
Heat 2: CJ Hobgood (USA) vs. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW)
Heat 3: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) vs. Evan Valiere (HAW)
Heat 4: Travis Logie (ZAF) vs. Bruce Irons (HAW)
Heat 5: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Ian Walsh (HAW)
Heat 6: Chris Davidson (AUS) vs. Kai Barger (HAW)
Heat 7: Daniel Ross (AUS) vs. Aamion Goodwin (HAW)
Heat 8: Dane Reynolds (USA) vs. Jamie O’Brien (HAW)
Heat 9: Kolohe Andino (USA) vs. Laurie Towner (AUS)
Heat 10: Willian Cardoso (BRA) vs. Shane Dorian (HAW)
Heat 11: Tanner Gudauskas (USA) vs. Jack Freestone (AUS)
Heat 12: Mason Ho (HAW) vs. Hank Gaskell (HAW)
Upcoming Billabong Pipe Masters Round 2 Match Ups:
Heat 1: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 2: Miguel Pupo (BRA) vs. TBD
Heat 3: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 4: John Florence (HAW) vs. TBD
Heat 5: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. TBD
Heat 6: Raoni Monteiro (BRA) vs. TBD
Heat 7: Brett Simpson (USA) vs. TBD
Heat 8: Adam Melling (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 9: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 10: Dusty Payne (HAW) vs. TBD
Heat 11: Tiago Pires (PRT) vs. TBD
Heat 12: Jadson Andre (BRA) vs. TBD
Upcoming Billabong Pipe Masters Round 3 Match Ups:
Heat 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 2: Alejo Muniz (BRA) vs. TBD
Heat 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. TBD
Heat 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 5: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. TBD
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. TBD
Heat 7: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. TBD
Heat 8: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. TBD
Heat 9: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 10: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. TBD
Heat 11: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 12: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. TBD
VANS TRIPLE CROWN TOP 3 (Heading into Billabong Pipe Masters):
1. John John Florence (HAW) 9,780 pts
2. Adam Melling (AUS) 9,650 pts
3. Michel Bourez (PYF) 8,480 pts
South Africans
19. Travis Logie (ZAF) 2,900 pts
27. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 2,400 pts
49. Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 1,350 pts
ASP WORLD TITLE TOP 5 (Heading into Billabong Pipe Masters):
1. Kelly Slater (USA) 63,350 pts
2. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 48,600 pts
3. Owen Wright (AUS) 47,900 pts
4. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 43,700 pts
5. Taj Burrow (AUS) 42,200 pts
South Africans
7. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 37,000 pts
30. Travis Logie (ZAF) 13,250 pts
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