Gabe Kling emerges triumphant in Round 4 of the ASP PRIME Nike Lowers Pro
America’s Gabe Kling prevailed in the fifth heat of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) PRIME Nike Lowers Pro’s Round 4 (Round of 48) that went down at the renowned beach-break of Lower Trestles in San Clemente, California, on Wednesday afternoon,
May 2.
The successful result served to carry Kling into the fifth round (Round of 24) of the competition. His fellow countryperson CJ Hobgood successfully advanced through into the next round of the event as well after taking runner-up position in the fifth heat.
A huge crowd was in attendance at Lower Trestles on day two of the latest ASP PRIME event to catch the action live as the local and international surfing talent took each other on in four-man battles for the prestigious event title, coveted ASP ranking points
and a slice of the huge prize purse. The clean two-to-four foot waves breaking at the primary event site were serving as a perfect stage for the surfers to really let loose as they put on determined performances to ensure that they stayed alive in the contention
for the event title.
Kling found himself pitted against fellow Americans Hobgood and Lukasik, along with Reunion Island’s Adrien Toyon in the fifth heat of Round 4.
As the four-man bout got underway, Kling wasted very little time before stepping up to lock a relatively juicy wave. Pulling off a series of impressive tricks, the American posted a 7.40 on the score-board to take an early lead. The search for another big
score got lengthy, but eventually proved fruitful as he managed to collect an 8.40-point ride to reach a heat-total of 15.80 points. The score served the fate of the heat in his favour to see him through into the next round of the event.
Hobgood posed a serious threat to Kling’s chances of winning the heat throughout the course of the battle. Scoring a 7.00 off his first business-wave, he went on to back it up with an 8.00-point wave and thus finished with a heat-total of 15.00 points. The
0.80-point deficit forced him to concede victory to Kling, but grabbing the runner-up position kept him alive in the competition.
Toyon finished in third place with a heat-total of 13.60 points, while Lukasik rounded out the bottom position with a two-wave total of 12.16 points. Both the surfers got eliminated from the competition as a result.
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