Chris Ward and Andrew Doheny kick-off day 1 of Nike Lowers Pro with solid performances
America’s Chris Ward and his fellow countryperson Andrew Doheny prevailed in the opening heats of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) PRIME Nike Lowers Pro’s Round of 102 (Round 1) that kicked-off at the renowned surfing spot of Lower Trestles
in San Clemente, California, on Tuesday, May 1.
America’s Jacob Davis and Jeffrey Lukasik also survived their respective Round 1 heats to accompany Ward and Doheny into the second round (Round of 98).
Considered as one of the most prestigious non-ASP World Tour event, Nike Lowers Pro attracted the top surfers from around the globe to avail the opportunity to surf against fellow-elite as well as the finest young guns. The juicy waves of Lowers Trestles
were nothing short of an ideal stage to host a series of adrenaline-pumping battles over the week.
The event got underway with Ward facing his compatriots Davis, Jeremy Carter and Shaw Kobayashi in the first heat of the opening round, the first of the two rounds to determine which two surfers got a wild-card entry into the main event.
Ward clearly stole the show during the four-man battle, adjusting quite nicely to the clean two-to-four foot waves that were on offer during the morning session. Getting to a heat-total of 12.66 points, he claimed top honours to walk away with the win.
Davis also advanced through into the next round after grabbing runner-up place through a heat-total of 10.83 points.
Carter finished in third place with a heat-total 10.53 points, barely missing out on getting a ticket into the next round. Kobayashi finished fourth after putting on a pretty lacklustre performance for a two-wave total of 6.50 point. Both Carter and Kobayashi
got eliminated from the competition as a result.
The second heat saw three talented local surfers, namely Doheny, Lukasik and Ian Crane, take on each other.
Doheny put on a stunning performance, catching a couple of juicy waves to get to a heat-total of 15.97 points. The score kept him in the lead until the end to eventually carry him to victory.
Lukasik made progress during the first round of the event as well after securing runner-up position with his heat-total of 13.40 points for a Round 2 spot.
Crane was forced to exit the competition field after scoring a two-wave total of 12.50 points for a third-place finish.
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