CJ Hobgood outshines Jordy Smith in Round 3 heat at Volcom Fiji Pro – Surfing News
South Africa’s Jordy Smith bowed out to America’s CJ Hobgood in the 10th heat of Volcom Fiji Pro’s Round 3 that went down at the alternate venue of Restaurants in Tavarua, Fiji, on Saturday, June 9.
The 30-minute affair turned out to be filled with intensity and determined performance, with both the surfers holding nothing back as they sought to extend their life in the event. Once the dust settled, however, it was Hobgood who got to advance into the
next round, while Smith found himself eliminated from the event title.
The primary venue of the fourth of ten stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour , Cloudbreak, had received a massive swell, reaching up to 12-to-15 feet. While the mammoth-sized waves were making the mouth of surfing
elite water, the event organisers deemed it appropriate to shift to the alternate venue of Restaurants for the third and possibly fourth round of the competition. The draining four-to-six foot waves could hardly be considered any less ideal, featuring a more
organised swell. The surfers competed against each other for survival in barrelling conditions, giving plenty of potent opportunities to the surfers to put their skills on display.
The 10th heat of Round 3 saw Smith and Hobgood squaring it off in a man-on-man battle for survival, with the loser to get eliminated from the competition.
The battle turned out to be one of the most intense of the day, delivery a heavy dose of memorable action as the two ASP World Tour veterans remained on fire throughout the course of the heat.
As the heat got underway, Smith paddled towards an approaching barrel to ride deep into it and emerge cleanly from it to post an 8.00 on the score-board. He continued the momentum to back it up with an even more impressive 9.13-point ride, consequently moving
to a heat-total of 17.13 points.
Hobgood, however, did not allow his South African rival to enjoy the spotlight and pretty much stole the show with a perfect 10-point ride in the opening minutes. Adding an additional 7.33 points to his account, the American surfer moved to a heat-total
of 17.33 points to finish ahead of his rival in the end.
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