Damien Hobgood and Joel Parkinson qualify for semi-finals at Billabong Pipe Masters
America’s Damien Hobgood and Australia’s Joel Parkinson moved one stepped closer to the Billabong Pipe Masters title as they emerged triumphant in their respective quarter-final heats that went down at the Banzai Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii, on Friday, December 14, 2012.
Hobgood got the better of Hawaii’s Sebastien Zietz in the first quarter-final advance to the next stage of the competition, while removing the latter from the contention for the event title.
The second quarter-final saw America’s CJ Hobgood failing to hold his own against an in-form Parkinson, getting eliminated as a result while sending the latter through into the semi-finals.
Serving as the final stop on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour, as well as the third and final jewel on the 30th anniversary Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, all eyes were set on Billabong Pipe Masters.
The final day of the competition saw pumping waves gracing the Banzai Pipeline, thus setting up an excellent stage for the top surfers from around the globe to take each other on in a battle of skills and experience.
The first quarter-final saw Hobgood take Zietz, who clinched this year’s Vans Triple Crown following his Round 2 success earlier in the competition, in a one-on-one battle for semi-final spot.
As the battle got underway, the American surfer got off to an impressive start, earning a 7.00 off his first business-wave. Backing it up with a 2.83-point ride, he took his heat-total of 9.83 points.
Even though the score put up by his rival was one an intimidating one, Zietz failed to respond to it adequately. Netting a 5.50 and 3.67 off his best-two waves, the local surfer finished with a heat-total of 9.17 points, consequently getting eliminated.
The second quarter-final saw Parkinson, current No. 1 on the ASP World Champion Tour rankings, take on CJ Hobgood.
The Australian powerhouse scored a 6.50 off his first business-wave and soon added an additional 6.00 points to his account, thus getting to a heat-total of 12.50 points.
Hobgood had an opportunity of joining his brother in the next stage of the competition as the heat-total posted by his rival was not a daunting one.
However, the American surfer only managed to get to a heat-total of 9.40 points after scoring a 5.00 and 4.40 off his best-two waves, consequently surrendering the semi-final slot to his rival.
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