The Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons completed all 12 heats in Round 1 and the first three heats of Round 2 yesterday in two to three metre waves at Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii.
Day one at the final stop on the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), which will determine this year’s ASP World Title and is the final jewel of the Vans Triple Crown, saw the lower seeds among the ASP Top 34 battling the notorious local wildcards in a rising swell as they attempted to re-qualify for the 2013 ASP WCT.
South Africans Travis Logie and Jordy Smith get their respective campaigns underway in the challenging conditions later today. Both face tough opponents with Logie taking on in-form Hawaiian wildcard Sebastien Zietz in Heat 6 of Round 2 and Smith pitted against 2001 ASP World Champion CJ Hobgood (USA) in Heat 5 of Round 3.
South Africans Travis Logie and Jordy Smith get their respective campaigns underway in the challenging conditions later today. Both face tough opponents with Logie taking on in-form Hawaiian wildcard Sebastien Zietz in Heat 6 of Round 2 and Smith pitted against 2001 ASP World Champion CJ Hobgood (USA) in Heat 5 of Round 3.
Logie, equal 17th on the ASP WCT rankings going into the event, is well placed to retain his spot amongst the top 22 who automatically qualify for next year’s WCT. Seven of those currently outside the qualification cut-off mark are still in contention and could potentially overtake the 33 year-old Durbanite,
So winning his Round 2 encounter would all but ensure Logie another year in the highest echelons of international competition while a loss would leave him sitting nervously on the beach waiting for his rivals’ results. Logie’s task is complicated by facing Zietz, an opponent who will not only have the parochial local crowd supporting his every ride but who is in sensational form.
Hawaiian wildcard Sebastian Zietz weaves his way through the tube at Pipeline on his way to yesterday’s Round 1 victory and a match-up with Travis Logie (Durban) in Round 2 at the Billabong Pipeline Masters later today. Photo: ASP / Kirstin
The young Hawaiian earned a wildcard into the Billabong Pipe Masters by topping the Van Triple Crown rankings after winning the Prime rated first leg at Haleiwa in November and finishing third at Sunset Beach in the second stop earlier this month. Zietz will be fiercely determined to advance to secure the Triple Crown title.
The Triple Crown is second only to the ASP World Title in prestige, which earns the winner a US $100 000 (approx. R850 000) payout plus a $30 000 Harley Davidson and a $10 000 jewel encrusted Nixon watch.
Smith faces an equally stern test of his credentials against CJ Hobgood who defeated the 24 year-old South African in similar hollow, powerful waves in Fiji earlier this year. Hobgood reached Round 3 here via a comprehensive 15.17 vs. 13.57 point victory yesterday over former Pipe Masters champion and acknowledged Pipeline standout Jamie O’Brien (HAW).
Ranked No 12 coming into this event, Smith will want to advance through at least a couple of rounds to end the year ranked in the top 10 which will give him preferential seeding in 2013 and earn performance bonuses from his sponsors.
An aspect that may well benefit Smith in his clash with Hobgood is Surfline’s prediction that the swell direction will become progressively more Northerly as the day wears on. This will produce more right-breaking waves on the Backdoor section of the dangerously shallow Pipeline reef which would suit Smith more than his opponent whose goofy-foot stance is more advantageous on the traditional left breaking waves at Pipeline.
Surfline, the official surf forecaster for the Vans Triple Crown events, predicts the current swell will peak overnight Saturday with Sunday featuring general three metre waves with occasional five metre sets and favourable offshore trade winds before the swell starts to fade going into Monday.
Besides the South Africans, all eyes will be on current rankings leader Joel Parkinson (AUS), 11-time and reigning ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (US) and two-time ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS) who are locked in a titanic battle for the 2012 title.
All three start in Round 3 and are thus guaranteed to earn at least equal 13th place. Fanning’s chances of a third title rely on him winning at Pipeline with Slater not reaching the semis and Parkinson eliminated before the final.
If Parko finishes 13th (R3 loss), 9th (R5 loss) or 5th (quarter-final loss), Slater will win the title if he reaches the quarters. If Parko loses out in the semis (3rd place), Slater also needs to reach the semis for an unprecedented 12th title while if Parko makes it to the final then Slater needs to win the contest.
Round 3 sees Parkinson and Slater drawn against local Pipe experts Kalani Chapman and Billy Kemper respectively, each of whom won two heats against established top 32 stars yesterday, brining all of the above scenarios into play in what will be a pivotal day in the 2012 ASP World Title race.
Event organisers will reconvene at 6:30 am (6:30 pm SA time) today to assess conditions for a possible 8 am (8pm) start.
BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 15.00 def. Evan Valiere (HAW) 9.50
Heat 2: Kolohe Andino (USA) 6.50 def. Tyler Newton (HAW) 6.26
Heat 3: Kalani Chapman (HAW) 15.83 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 5.70
Heat 4: Yadin Nicol (AUS) 15.33 def. Flynn Novak (HAW) 9.76
Heat 5: Fred Patacchia (HAW) 8.43 def. Tanner Hendrickson (HAW) 5.93
Heat 6: Billy Kemper (HAW) 11.00 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 10.17
Heat 7: Adam Melling (AUS) 11.66 def. Bruce Irons (HAW) 7.73
Heat 8: Jamie O’Brien (HAW) 16.34 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 9.94
Heat 9: Shane Dorian (HAW) 14.50 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 9.83
Heat 10: Ricardo dos Santos (BRA) 14.73 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 7.84
Heat 11: Dane Reynolds (USA) 11.34 def. Granger Larsen (HAW) 3.10
Heat 12: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 14.27 def. Glenn Hall (IRL) 10.77
BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Kalani Chapman (HAW) 13.84 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 10.60
Heat 2: Billy Kemper (HAW) 9.33 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 5.04
Heat 3: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 15.17 def. Jamie O’Brien (HAW) 13.57
REMAINING BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 2 MATCH UPS:
Heat 4: Alejo Muniz (BRA) vs. Shane Dorian (HAW)
Heat 5: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Ricardo dos Santos (BRA)
Heat 6: Travis Logie (ZAF) vs. Sebastian Zietz (HAW)
Heat 7: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Dane Reynolds (USA)
Heat 8: Miguel Pupo (BRA) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 9: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Fred Patacchia (HAW)
Heat 10: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) vs. Yadin Nicol (AUS)
Heat 11: Brett Simpson (USA) vs. Kolohe Andino (USA)
Heat 12: Heitor Alves (BRA) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: John John Florence (HAW) vs. TBD
Heat 2: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. TBD
Heat 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 5: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. C.J. Hobgood (USA)
Heat 6: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Kalani Chapman (HAW)
Heat 7: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. TBD
Heat 8: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 9: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Billy Kemper (HAW)
Heat 10: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 11: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. TBD
Heat 12: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. TBD
(edited)
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