Tom Whitaker and Damien Hobgood survive Round 2 of Hurley Pro – 2011 ASP World Tour
Fans were treated to a heavy dose of thrilling action at the seventh stop of 2011 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour, Hurley Pro, with the third and fourth heat of Round 2 that went down at Lower Trestles in California, America, on Monday,
September 19.
The third heat saw Australia’s Tom Whitaker prevail over his compatriot, Bede Durbidge, to secure his place in Round 3 while removing his rival from the contention for the event-title.
America’s Damien Hobgood defeated Australia’s Adam Melling in the fourth heat to grab the Round 3 spot on offer, consequently brining the event to a pre-mature end for the latter.
As the third heat kicked-off in rippable two-to-four foot waves, the 31-year-old Whitaker got down to business right away, locking a wave to earn 5.17 points off it. A few minutes later, he added another 6.27 points to his account, moving to a heat-total
of 11.44 points. The score remained unbeatable until the end, carrying him to victory and securing his place in the third round.
Durbidge gave a lacklustre performance and only managed to score 2.33 and 5.50 points off his top-two waves to finish the heat with a two-wave total of 7.83 points. The disappointing performance resulted in his elimination from the competition.
The next heat pitted the 32-year-old Hobgood against elite tour veteran, Melling, in a battle for survival. Both surfers had faltered in the first round, but the pressure of elimination round was bound to bring out the best in them.
As the battle commenced, the American selected a wave early in the heat to score 7.00 points and take the lead. He soon added another 7.57 points to his account, moving to a heat-total of 14.57 points. The score proved to be sufficient to earn him top honours
and secure his place in Round 3.
Commenting on the heat afterwards, Hobgood said, “On the first wave I thought I was a little off. You can get jittery and the surf is so weak that if you put your foot wrong you can mess up. After that I felt pretty good. I felt like I was on the better
side of the sets and knew I wouldn’t compete with Melling on the fast runners. Knew I had to get the ones that were bigger, slower and a little wedgier, fortunate enough, it paid off.”
Melling had no intention of letting his rival take the win without putting up a fight. He did not allow Hobgood to relax throughout the entire heat by scoring 6.97 points off his first wave and setting himself up for a possible win. However, he only managed
to earn 7.17 points off his second wave, which was 0.43 points less than the score required for victory. This consequently removed him from contention for the event-title.
For more updates on Round 2 of Hurley Pro, stay tuned to bettor.com.
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