Chris Davidson dominates his Round 1 heat at Rip Curl Pro Search – 2011 ASP World Tour
Australia’s Chris Davidson came up with an outstanding performance to walk away with a convincing win in the 11th heat of Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco’s Round 1 that went down at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, America, on Tuesday, November
1. The victory added his name directly to the Round 3 line-up.
America’s Damien Hobgood took too long to shift into a higher gear and thus was forced to settle for runner-up place. Australia’s Mick Fanning shocked everyone with his rather weak performance and consequent third-place finish. Both Hobgood and Fanning got
relegated to the second round after failing to get their hands on top honours.
The 34-year-old Davidson was not having the best of Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour so far. His performance at the previous nine stops of the elite tour had been rather inconsistent, which had resulted in early exits for him. Current
No.22 on the ASP World Title rankings, the Australian sure had a lot to prove as he made his way to San Francisco for the 10th stop of the ASP World Tour.
As he faced the likes of Fanning and Hobgood in the 11th heat of Round 1 on the opening day of the competition, Davidson seemed to have put the past behind him and came out with a newly found aggression and strong resolve to dominate. A few minutes
into the heat, he caught a wave to post an 8.60 on the score-board, taking an early advantage over his competitors. Just a few minutes before the buzzer was due, the Australian added another 7.50 points to his account and consequently finished with a heat-total
of 16.10 points. The score proved too much for his rivals and thus sealed the fate of the three-man battle in Davidson’s favour, sending him throughout into Round 3.
Hobgood got off to a shaky start and struggled to get his hands on a good score. Earning a 3.43 off his first business-wave, the American finally made a change in the final minutes of the heat to collect an impressive 8.83 off his second business-wave. However,
he had wasted too much time getting to this aggressive mode and eventually finished in second place with a heat-total of 12.26 points.
The former two-time ASP World Champion, Fanning, got off to a strong start, earning an 8.10 off his first business-wave. However, he failed to follow it up with another decent score and only managed to add another 3.00 to his account. He rounded out third
place with a heat-total of 11.10 points.
Hobgood and Fanning may have faltered in the first round, but the two surfers still had an opportunity to back in the race for the event-title by collecting a win in their Round 2 heat.
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