Taylor Knox and Damien Hobgood triumph in Round 1 of Billabong Pro Tahiti – 2011 ASP World Tour
Billabong Pro Tahiti kept on delivering intense surfing battles featuring the world’s best surfers from all around the globe with the ninth and tenth heat of Round 1 on Saturday, August 20, at Teahupo’o in Taiarapu, Tahiti.
The ninth heat saw America’s Taylor Knox clinch top honours to secure his place in the third round. Brazil’s Alejo Muniz finished second, while Australia’s Bede Durbidge rounded out the top three. Consequently, both the surfers were relegated to the second
round.
America’s Damien Hobgood emerged triumphant in the tenth heat to confirm his spot in Round 3. His compatriots, Patrick Gudauskas and Brett Simpson, finished in second and third place respectively, getting relegated to Round 2 as a result.
As the ninth heat kicked off, the 40-year-old Knox drew first blood after locking a wave to earn 6.33 points off it. After a long and determined search, he came across his second business-wave, earning 6.57 points off it to finish with a heat-total of 12.90
points. The score eventually sealed the fate of the battle in his favour.
Muniz attempted to keep his American rival from walking away with the win by putting up a commendable fight, but his efforts remained in vain. Scoring 6.83 points off his first wave and 5.70 points off his second, he finished with a heat-total of 12.53 points
to take second place.
Durbidge remained the least impressive performer of the lot, collecting a 5.50 and 5.60-point wave to finish with a two-wave total of 11.10 points.
The tenth heat turned out to be an all-American affair, pitting the 32-year-old Hobgood against Gudauskas and Simpson.
As the heat commenced, Gudauskas took an upper hand early in the heat, scoring an outstanding 8.60 points off a wave. However, he failed to follow it up with another good score and eventually finished with a heat-total of 13.10 points, leaving the window
of opportunity open for his rivals.
Hobgood capitalised on the opportunity and after collecting 6.50 points early on, he soon added an additional 7.23 points to his account to reach a heat-total of 13.73 points. The score carried him off to victory, allowing him to join his twin brother in
the third round.
Simpson rounded out the third position after finishing with a heat-total of 8.83 points, which comprised of a 5.83 and 3.00-point wave.
For more updates on Round 1 of Billabong Pro Tahiti, stay tuned to bettor.com
Tags: