CJ Hobgood delivers a spectacular performance in Round 3 of the ASP PRIME Nike Lowers Pro
America’s CJ Hobgood collected a first-place finish following an exquisite performance in the ninth heat of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) PRIME Nike Lowers Pro’s Round 3 (Round of 96) that continued to deliver exciting surfing action at
the beach-break of Lower Trestles in San Clemente, California, on Tuesday, May 1.
He, along with his fellow countryperson Cory Lopez who secured runner-up position, advanced through into the fourth round (Round of 48) of the competition to continue their pursuit of the event title.
There were plenty of reasons for the surfing fans to feel really excited about the latest ASP PRIME event. The competition field included some of the most talented surfers from around the world, some of whom were in contention for the ASP World Title in
the latest season of the elite tour. There were also a handful of local up-and-coming talent who were expected to go all out to get their skills acknowledged. There was also a handsome prize purse along with coveted ASP ranking points to be collected, which
was expected to act as an additional motivation for the surfers to do well.
Hobgood found himself pitted against Lopez, Brazil’s Jeronimo Vargas and Australia’s Stu Kennedy in the ninth heat of Round 3. The American surfer was nothing short of spectacular in the clean two-to-four foot waves that were on offer on the opening day
of Nike Lowers Pro.
Getting busy early in the heat, Hobgood locked his first business-wave to unload a series of quick turns and powerful carves to post an 8.00 on the score-board. He kept the momentum going with another excellent wave, earning an 8.03 off it. The resultant
heat-total of 16.03 points proved adequate to seal the fate of the battle in his favour.
Lopez put on a pretty impressive display of his skills as well. Locking his first business-wave, he posted a 7.07 on the score-board and soon backed it up with a 7.30-pont wave to secure runner-up finish with a combined-wave total of 14.37 points.
Vargas collected a couple of scores in the six-point range for a heat-total of 12.46 points, whereas Kennedy finished with a two-wave total of 10.37 points, which included a 4.50 and 5.87-point wave. The two surfers was sent packing due to their bottom-two
finish.
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