Fredrick Patacchia and Billy Kemper register victories on the opening day of Billabong Pipe Masters
Hawaii’s Fredrick Patacchia and his fellow countryperson Billy Kemper made the Round 2 cut at the Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons after successfully clinching victory in their respective Round 1 heats that went down at the Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii, on Saturday, December 8, 2012.
Patacchia got the better of his compatriot Tanner Hendrickson in the fifth heat to advance to Round 2, while eliminating the latter from the competition in the process.
The sixth heat saw Kemper finish on top of America’s Taylor Knox for a place in the second round, while pushing his rival out of the contention for the event title.
The final stop on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour and the 30th anniversary Vans Triple Crown of Surfing had a charged-up atmosphere prevailing at the main event site.
With plenty of rewards awaiting the victor, the best surfers from around the world had plenty of motivation of push hard during the course of the competition.
The fifth heat saw Patacchia take on Hendrickson in familiar conditions for a place in Round 2.
Despite the local knowledge of the waves, neither of the two surfers appeared very comfortable in the pumping six-to-eight foot waves that were gracing Pipeline.
It turned out to be a battle of experience and luck for 30 minutes, which eventually went Patacchia’s way as he registered a heat-total of 8.43 points, which included a 5.83 and 2.60-point wave, where Hendrickson posted a 3.10 and 2.83 on the score-board off his best-two waves for a heat-total of 5.93 points.
The sixth heat saw Kemper and Knox take each other on in a one-on-one battle for a spot in Round 2.
As the battle got underway, both the surfers got off to a modest start, taking their time to adjust to the conditions on hand.
Kemper eventually broke free of the shackles with a 6.67-point ride, which he went on to back up with a 4.33-point wave, thus finishing with a heat-total of 11.00 points.
Knox failed to hold his own against his rival and was eventually forced to concede victory after finishing with a heat-total of 10.17 points, which comprised of a 6.00 and 4.17-point ride.
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