Tom Whitaker and Dane Reynolds grab Round 3 spot at Reef Hawaiian Pro
Australia’s Tom Whitaker and America’s Dane Reynolds made it through into the third round (Round of 64) heat at the Reef Hawaiian Pro, the first event on this year’s Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, after claiming victory in their respective Round 2 (Round
of 96) heats that went down at the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii on Friday, November 16, 2012.
Australia’s Nathan Hedge made it through into the next round as well after finishing below Whitaker in second place during the ninth heat. America’s Tanner Gudauskas finished in third place, whereas Dion Atkinson had to settle for fourth place. Both the
surfers got eliminated from the competition.
While Reynolds took the win in the 10th heat, Hawaii’s Koa Smith secured runner-up place to accompany the heat’s winner into the next round. America’s Nathaniel Curran and France’s Maxime Huscenot rounded out the bottom-two positions.
Exquisite performances and thrilling climaxes remained a regular feature during the latest day of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Prime event, with the talented surfers displaying their determination to remain alive in the contention for top
honours.
Pitted against Hedge, Gudauskas and Atkinson during the ninth heat, Whitaker found himself facing a daunting task of finishing in top two to earn his place in the next round.
The Australian surfer, however, met the challenge head-on and put up a strong performance to assert his dominance in the heat. Collecting a 9.17 off his first business-wave and backing it up with a 6.17-point ride, Whitaker finished with a heat-total of
15.34 points, which served to carry him through into the next round.
Hedge extended his life in the event as well after finishing with a heat-total of 13.63 points, which comprised of an 8.33 and 5.30-point ride.
Gudauskas finished third after registering a heat-total of 12.83 points, while Atkinson had to settle for a fourth-place finish due to a heat-total of 12.67 points.
The 10th heat featured a low-scoring affair, with Reynolds eventually managing to emerge triumphant after posting a heat-total of 10.56 points, which resulted in a 7.33 and 3.23-point ride.
Smith collected a 5.50 and 4.50 off his best-two waves for a heat-total of 10.00 points, which proved sufficient to take him through into the next round.
Curran finished in third place with a heat-total of 6.60 points, while Huscenot had to settle for two-wave total of 4.13.
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