Adam Melling and Jamie O’Brien claim victory in opening round of Billabong Pipe Masters
Australia’s Adam Melling and Hawaii’s Jamie O’Brien made their way through into the second round at the Billabong Pipe Masters after claiming victory in their respective Round 1 heats that went down at Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii, on Saturday, December 8, 2012.
The seventh heat saw Melling getting the better of Hawaii’s Bruce Irons to secure his place in the second round, pushing the latter out of the contention for the event title.
Brazil’s Jadson Andre failed to hold his own against O’Brien during the eighth heat, consequently getting eliminated while sending the latter to the next round.
Serving as both the final stop on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour and the 30th anniversary Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, Billabong Pipe Masters had high stakes attached to it, thus pushing the best surfers from around the globe to get down to business right from the start.
With pumping six-to-eight foot waves gracing the main events site on the opening day of the competition, a heavy dose of thrilling action was clearly on the cards.
Melling took on Irons in a man-on-man battle during the seventh heat. Both the surfers were looking to clinch victory so they would not have to become spectators for the rest of the event.
As the battle got underway, the Australian surfer got off to a modest start, but built momentum as the heat continued to eventually post an impressive 6.83 on the score-board. He went on to add an additional 4.83 points to his account, thus registering a heat-total of 11.66 points.
Irons struggled to come up with an adequate response and eventually had to settle for a two-wave total of 7.73 points, which comprised of a 5.50 and 2.23-point ride. The effort was not enough to see get him through into the second round.
The eighth heat pitted O’Brien against Andre in a battle for the Round 2 spot.
Making the most of his familiarity with the waves, the Hawaiian surfer put on a stunning performance. His excellent wave selection allowed him to collect an 8.67 and 7.67-point ride, thus registering a heat-total of 16.34 points.
Andre responded with a two-wave total of 9.94 points, which comprised of a 7.67 and 2.27-point wave. The score resulted in his premature elimination from the competition.
Tags: