Kai Otton and CJ Hobgood reach the Quarter-final stage at 2012 Telstra Drug Aware Pro – Surfing News
Australia’s Kai Otton and America’s CJ Hobgood advanced through into the Quarter-finals of the 2012 Telstra Drug Aware Pro after emerging triumphant in their respective Round 5 (Round of 16) heats that went down at Margaret River in Western Australia on
Friday, March 23.
Otton created a huge upset by defeating his fellow countrymen Taj Burrow in the seventh heat, while Hobgood got the better of Australia’s Kieren Perrow in the eighth heat of Round 5 to secure the last two remaining spots in the Quarter-final stage of the
event.
The top surfers from around the world had converged to Margaret River to take on their fellow elite surfers in promising surfing conditions that had been a routine at the event site since the start of the second Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)
Prime rated event of the season. Even though the likes of America’s Kelly Slater and Australia’s Mick Fanning had been removed from the event contention due to some excellent surfing by their rivals, the field still comprised of a number of big names, promising
to deliver a heavy dose of thrilling action to the fans.
The seventh heat of Round 5 pitted Otton against Burrow, current No.1 on the ASP World Title rankings. Both the surfers had been nothing short of superb since the very first round of 2012 Telstra Drug Aware Pro and were expected to give each other a tough
time in five-to-six foot waves that were on offer.
As the battle got underway, Burrow got down to business right away, locking his first business-wave to post a 6.77 on the scoreboard. Finding an impressive 8.00-point ride, the 33-year-old surfer moved to a heat-total of 14.77 points.
The score proved to be insufficient as Otton responded with a 6.37 and spectacular 8.77-point wave to end up with a heat-total of 15.14 points, consequently reaching the Quarter-finals while bringing the competition to a premature end for his rival.
The eighth heat turned out to be a pretty one-sided affair as Hobgood put on an impressive performance to remove Perrow from the contention for the event title.
The American surfer drew first blood with a 6.67-point wave and went on to add another 7.17 points to his account to get to a heat-total of 13.84 points.
Despite his local knowledge of the waves, Perrow struggled to find rhythm and thus a good score. Scoring a 5.73 and 3.00 off his best-two waves, the Australian surfer finished with a heat-total of 8.73 points, consequently conceding victory along with the
Quarter-final spot to his rival.
Tags: