The Hobgood brothers reach quarter-finals at Billabong Pipe Masters
America’s Damien Hobgood and his brother CJ Hobgood made it through into the quarter-finals at the Billabong Pipe Masters, the final stop on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour, after claiming victory in their respective
Round 5 heats that went down at the Banzai Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii, on Friday, December 14, 2012.
Hobgood got the better of Australia’s Kieren Perrow in the opening heat of Round 5 to secure his place in the next stage of the competition, while bringing the event to a premature end for his rival in the process.
The second heat saw America’s Dane Reynolds failing to hold his own against his compatriot Hobgood, thus getting removed from the contention for the event title while sending his rival through into the next round.
The pumping waves on offer at the primary event site on the final day of Billabong Pipe Masters, which also served as the final jewel on the 30th anniversary Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, promised to deliver a heavy dose of thrilling action, something
that the fans had strongly anticipated since the competition field was filled with the best in the business from around the globe.
Pitted against the defending event champion Perrow in the first heat, Hobgood had his work cut out for him.
Both the surfers were desperate to put big scores on the score-board to increase their chances of getting into the quarter-finals, but the sea just was not offering them enough scoring opportunities.
The American surfer eventually managed to find himself a 4.30-point ride and went on to back it up with a 3.93-point ride, thus getting to a heat-total of 8.23 points.
Even thought the target score was hardly an intimidating one, Perrow failed to surpass it. Scoring a mere 1.73 and 1.53 off his best-two waves, the Australian surfer registered a heat-total of 3.26 points, thus surrendering victory to his rival.
The second heat saw Hobgood claim a convincing victory over event wildcard Reynolds to advance to the next stage of the competition.
Hobgood earned a 7.27 off his first business-wave and went on to back it up with a 6.67-point ride, thus reaching a heat-total of 13.94 points.
Reynolds, however, only managed to get to a two-wave total of 8.00 points, which comprised of a 5.00 and 3.00-point ride. As a result, he found himself eliminated from the competition.
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