Fredrick Patacchia and Damien Hobgood survive Round 2 of Quiksilver Pro New York – 2011 ASP World Tour
Hawaii’s Fredrick Patacchia defeated Tahiti’s Michel Bourez in the fifth heat, while America’s Damien Hobgood defeated his compatriot Gabe Kling in the sixth heat of Quiksilver Pro New York’s Round 2 that went down at the Long Beach, New York, on Wednesday,
September 7.
Success in the second round allowed Patacchia and Hobgood to advance into Round 3, while bring the current stop of Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour to a premature end for their respective opponents.
With four-to-six foot waves gracing the primary event site, the contest between the world’s best surfers promised to be an exciting affair as they sought to extend their life in the event.
Pitted against Bourez in the fifth heat, Bourez locked the very first wave that came his wave to score 5.50 points off it. The 29-year-old Patacchia responded with 5.93 points to move ahead of his rival on the scoreboard.
Almost halfway through the heat, Bourez utilised a wave to add an additional 5.77 points to his account and took the lead from his rival. However, a last-minute effort by Patacchia allowed him to earn 7.17 off a wave, moving him back into the lead and consequently
sealing the fate of the heat in his favour.
The sixth heat saw the 32-year-old Hobgood take Kling on in a head-to-head battle for survival. Hobgood caught the first wave to open his account with 6.33 points. Kling immediately responded with a 5.83-point wave, staying close to his rival on the scoreboard.
Hobgood added another 6.80 points to his account, moving to a heat-total of 13.13 points. Kling desperately searched for a good score to move ahead of his rival, but the effort turned out to be in vain. Settling for a second-wave score of 4.17, he finished
the battle with a heat-total of 10.00 points, conceding victory to Hobgood.
Failing to make a solid impact for the second time in a row, both Bourez and Kling were eliminated from the competition. Meanwhile, Patacchia and Hobgood moved into the third round to continue their pursuit for the event title.
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