Damien Hobgood and Adrian Buchan prevail in Round 4 of Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay
After the completion of the third round, Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay started off with the no-elimination Round 4 right away, on Saturday, July 23, at the coastline of Jeffreys Bay in South Africa.
The first heat saw America’s Damien Hobgood prevail in the three-man battle against Australia’s Bede Durbidge and Daniel Ross, to move through to the quarter-finals directly. Durbidge and Ross got relegated to Round 5 after finishing in second and
third place respectively.
Australia’s Adrian Buchan came up with a spectacular performance in the second heat, downing compatriots Julian Wilson and South Africa’s Jordy Smith to advance to the quarter-finals. Wilson and Smith rounded out the second and third position
respectively and headed to Round 5 to compete for the quarter-final spot.
The ideal surfing conditions at the event site allowed the event organisers to get the fourth round underway right after the third round and make up for the lost time that the low swell over the past week had caused. Things were turning out to be perfect
for the fourth of the eleven stops on the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour on Saturday.
As the first heat kicked off, the 32-year-old Hobgood wasted no time in catching a wave and posting an impressive 7.00 on the scorecard. However, Durbidge soon rose to the challenge and responded with a 7.40-point wave. Ross failed to meet the standard
set up by his two rivals and trailed them with a 4.77-point first wave.
Halfway through the heat, Ross managed to taste the lead for a while by scoring a 6.93 off his second business-wave, but the joy was short-lived. His compatriot soon added a 5.77 to his account to move to a heat-total of 13.17 points and regain the
lead once again.
With hardly any time left on the heat-clock, Hobgood chose a nice juicy wave to throw off a string of quick turns and flips and ended up earning a decisive 7.50 for the effort. As a result, he moved to a heat-total of 14.50 points and sealed the fate
of the battle.
The second heat saw the 28-year-old Buchan go on a rampage to survive a heat that comprised of two in-form surfers, Wilson and Smith.
Surprisingly, Smith failed to make a solid impact during the battle, scoring 6.17 and 3.00 early in the heat and failing to improve on these scores as the heat progressed.
The heat turned out to be more of a one-on-one battle, with the two Australians, Buchan and Wilson, pushing each other to the limits. Buchan drew first blood with a near-perfect 9.87 off the very first wave that he caught. However, Wilson managed to
reduce the gap by posting an 8.17 on the scoreboard.
A few minutes later, Wilson added an additional 8.43 to his account to move to a heat-total of 16.60 points. As the heat went on, it seemed that this score would remain unbeatable. However, in the closing minutes of the battle, Buchan managed to utilise
a wave to earn 7.67 points and jump to a heat-total of 17.54 points, much to the disappointment of his countryman.
Talking to a reporter after the sensational heat, Buchan said, “It was such an exciting heat with Jordy [Smith] and Julian [Wilson] as they’re amazing talents. That [being] said, I felt really confident. My board feels great and I was posting big scores
in other heats so I knew if I could get two good waves, I’d be in there. Fortunately for me, I started with a big score and that gave me momentum moving forward through the heat.”
Wilson and Smith may have faltered in the current heat, but it was still too early to write them off from the list of strongest contenders for the event title.
For more updates on Round 4 of Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay, stay tuned to bettor.com
Tags: