Jay Thompson barely claims victory in Round 3 of the ASP PRIME Nike Lowers Pro
Australia’s Jay Thompson successfully extended his life in the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) PRIME Nike Lowers Pro following a convincing victory in the 20th heat of Round 3 (Round of 96) that went down at the renowned surf-break
of Lower Trestles in San Clemente, California, on Wednesday, May 2.
Brazil’s Alejo Muniz accompanied Thompson into the fourth round (Round of 48) of the competition after managing to secure runner-up place in the 20th heat.
There was a pretty strong motivation for the surfers to go all out at the latest ASP PRIME event of the year. Not only was one of the most prestigious non-ASP World Tour title on offer, the surfers also had an opportunity to get their hands on a huge winner’s
cheque and coveted ASP ranking points that could eventually play a vital role in getting them into the contention for the ASP World Title.
The 20th heat of Round 2 featured one of the most intense battles of the day as Thompson, Muniz, South Africa’s Shaun Joubert and Puerto Rico’s Brian Toth, all put on a determined performance to try and get their hands on victory.
However, once the dust settled, it was Thompson who stood victorious. The Australian surfer adjusted his surfing to the clean two-to-four foots that were on offer quite effectively. Navigating his way through the waves, Thompson posted a 7.77 on the score-board
off his first business-wave halfway through the heat and soon backed it up with a 5.73-point wave to finish with a heat-total of 13.50 points. The score served to carry him through into the next round.
Muniz was nothing short of impressive during the course of the battle either. The Brazilian surfer found a 6.00-point ride early in the four-man bout and kept the momentum going to add another 6.73 points to his account, thus finishing with a heat-total
of 12.73 points.
Joubert collected a couple of scores in the six point range to finish with a heat-total of 12.37 points, thus forced to settle for third place. Toth finished in fourth place with a two-wave total of 12.20 points, which included a 4.87 and 7.33 points. Both
the surfers got added to the elimination list.
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