Patrick Gudauskas triumphs in Round 1 of Rip Curl Pro Search – 2011 ASP World Tour
Despite pitted against an intimidating line-up, America’s Patrick Gudauskas managed to walk away with top honours from the seventh heat of Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco’s Round 1 that went down at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, America, on Tuesday, November
1.
The victory moved the American surfer straight into the third round. The formidable Australian force, Julian Wilson, remained rather unimpressive and eventually had to settle for runner-up place. Portugal’s Tiago Pires rounded out the third place after struggling
to find his rhythm throughout the entirety of the battle. The lacklustre performance by Wilson and Pires got them relegated to Round 2.
Wilson may have been competing in his first season of Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour, but the young Australian was proving to be a formidable force to be reckoned with and making the going extremely tough for the Tour veterans. Coming
to America for the 10th stop of the elite tour, Wilson was looking to improve his standings on the ASP World Title Rankings in order to make his rookie season even more memorable.
Pitted against the local Gudauskas and the “Portuguese Tiger”, Pires, things were expected to really heat up during the three-man battle for the Round 3 spot and more importantly a confident start to the event.
As the heat got underway, the 25-year-old Gudauskas put his local knowledge of the waves to use and took control of the battle from the very start. He opened his account with a 6.33-point wave and soon locked a left-hander to unleash a string of exquisite
manoeuvres, adding an additional 8.77 to his account. The two wave-scores took him to a heat-total of 15.10 points, which eventually proved to be a decisive one and carried him all the way to victory.
Talking to a reporter after the heat, Gudauskas said, “It’s fun out there with the offshore winds. I got those fun lefts and they’re hard to find so it’s really fun. This year has been a tricky year for me. I’ve had some close heats and I’ve had a lot of
close loses and shockers, so I’m just letting it go and just free surfing out there. I feel like I’m home with the full suit and I feel good out there.”
Wilson failed to justify all the hype that surrounded him and despite showing immense determination during his hunt for a couple of good scores, he finished with a heat-total of 11.43 points.
Pires remained the least impressive of the lot and struggled to find his rhythm throughout the entirety of the 30-minute bout. Scoring 4.00 points off his first wave and 5.33 points off his second, he finished with a heat-total of 9.33 points.
Wilson and Pires still remain in contention for the event-title for the time-being, though their future in the competition depends heavily on the outcome of their Round 2 heat.
Tags: