Josh Kerr and Matt Wilkinson come back strongly in Round 2 of Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast
Australia’s Josh Kerr and Matt Wilkinson emerged triumphant in their respective Round 2 heats at the opening stop of 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour, Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, which went down on Sunday, February 26.
A winning performance in the seventh heat carried Kerr into the third round while removing America’s Patrick Gudauskas from the contention for the event title in the process.
Wilkinson’s victory in the eighth heat added him to the Round 3 line-up as well while bringing the event to a premature end for America’s Damien Hobgood.
The clean three-to-four foot waves on offer at the primary event site on Sunday were just what the surfers were hoping for during a battle for survival. The Round 2 competitors had failed to make a solid impact on day 1 and were looking to make a strong
come-back.
As the seventh heat got underway, Kerr successfully redeemed himself by putting on a spectacular performance, much to the joy of the local crowd. The Australian charged towards a wave to unload a series of exquisite manoeuvres, posting a 9.50 on the score-board
as a result. He soon backed it up with an impressive 8.10 to take his heat-total to 17.60 points.
With the bar raised quite high, Gudauskas found himself under immense pressure and failed to step up to meet the challenge head on. Scoring a 6.70 and 3.83 off his top-two waves, the American finished with a heat-total of 10.53 points.
The eighth featured yet another Australian stealing the show with his outstanding performance. This time it was Wilkinson walked away with the win. Despite getting off to a slow start, he gradually built momentum to eventually post a 7.43 and 8.43 on the
score-board, finishing with a heat-total of 15.86 points.
Hobgood, on the other hand, struggled to catch good waves despite a determined hunt. He eventually finished with a rather modest heat-total of 10.33 points, which comprised of a 4.73 and 5.60-point wave, consequently surrendering the Round 3 spot to Wilkinson.
Thrilling surfing action continued at Snapper Rocks on Sunday with the remaining Round 2 heats of Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.
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