Putra Hermawan and Matt Wilkinson claim success in Round 2 of Oakley Pro Bali – Surfing news
Indonesia’s Putra Hermawan and Australia’s Matt Wilkinson secured their place in Round 3 of the Oakley Pro Bali after emerging triumphant in their respective Round 2 heats that went down at Keramas in Bali, Indonesia, on Thursday, June 20, 2013.
Hermawan, a late replacement for an Injured Travis Logie from South Africa, ousted America’s Brett Simpson from the competition after finishing on top of him in heat 11.
Wilkinson, on the other hand, out-scored America’s Kolohe Andino in the 12thheat to clinch the last-remaining spot in the third round, while removing his rival from the contention for the event title in the process.
The latest day of the competition saw the completion of Round 2 in clean three-to-five foot waves at the main even venue.
The barrelling conditions put both the skills and experience of surfers to test. Only those who managed to make the right wave selections got awarded with good scores and consequently collected desirable results.
The 20-year-old Hermawan found himself with an opportunity that young surfers grow up dreaming of, competing at an elite tour event. Even though he was pitted against a seasoned ASP World Championship Tour campaigner, the young natural-footer fancied his
chances because of his local knowledge of the waves.
As the battle for the Round 3 spot got underway, Hermawan made his intent quite clear by scoring a 7.33 off his first business-wave. He added an additional 4.67 points to his account to finish with a heat-total of 12.00 points.
Simpson got off to a decent start as well, posting a 7.07 on the scoreboard early in the heat, but only managed to back it up with a 4.00-point ride, thus registering an inadequate score of 11.07 points and consequently surrender the Round 3 spot to his
rival.
“I am so excited to be in the event,” Hermawan said. “I am proud to be representing Indonesia and the waves are very fun. I hope I can keep surfing well.”
The young Indonesian will find himself facing the 11-time ASP World Champion and current ASP World Championship Tour no.1 Kelly Slater from America in Round 3.
The final heat of Round 2 pitted Wilkinson against Andino. Despite being an elite tour rookie, the latter was more than capable of stealing the show on his day.
Not taking any chances, Wilkinson got down to business right away as the heat got underway and posted an 8.17 on the score-board off his first business-wave. He backed it up with a 6.73-point ride to finish with a heat-total of 14.90 points.
Andino showed a great deal of determination during his hunt for a couple of big scores, but was only able to get to a heat-total of 13.50 points, which included a 7.50 and 6.00-point ride. As a result, he was eliminated from the competition.
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