Kelly wins Teahupoo and takes back Number 1

King Kelly is back at Number 1, thanks to a solid Teahupoo Win (Photo: ASP)

WOW! What a magnificent contest. We had everything from heat restarts, top seeds falling and giant terrifying waves. Kelly Slater called it the best Teahupoo contest ever - not surprising really considering he won it. For me the highlight though must be the 3rd place result for Travis Logie. It catapults him from 44th on the rankings into the 34th spot and a solid chance of making the cut after the New York event. If he does make the cut, we will see him paddle out at Trestles later in the year and Jordy will no longer be the lone Saffer on tour. Well done Travis, that was a monumental performance!



TEAHUPO’O, Taiarapu/French Polynesia (Monday, August 29, 2011) – Kelly Slater (USA), 39, reigning 10-time ASP World Champion, has claimed the Billabong Pro Tahiti presented by Air Tahiti Nui over Owen Wright (AUS), 21, in clean four-to-six foot (1.5 – 2 metre) waves at Teahupo’o.

Event No. 5 of 11 on the 2011 ASP World Title season, the Billabong Pro Tahiti culminated a historic incarnation of the event today, with the world’s best surfers pushing the performance envelope in incredible conditions.

Slater began to really pick up steam in today’s conditions, dispatching of an in-form Josh Kerr (AUS), 27, in the Semifinals before meeting lethal goofy-footer Wright in the Finals. The iconic American utilized his superior backhand tube-riding technique to post an 18.43 heat total out of a possible 20, which would prove too much for his younger opponent to overcome.

“I felt like I finally hit my stride in the Semifinals this morning,” Slater said. “In the Final, I fell on a couple of waves that were maybe better than what I ended up getting scored on. It put the pressure on me, and took the pressure off him (Wright). He got that really big one at the end that could have gotten pretty close to the score. These are the best conditions this event has ever run in. It’s been a phenomenal week.”

Coming into Tahiti rated No. 6 on the ASP World Title rankings, Slater’s win today rockets the Floridian to the No. 1 spot after a number of top seeds suffered early eliminations at the hands of an unmerciful Teahupo’o.

“It’s one of those weird events where you have to scramble through the early rounds,” Slater said. “Every year at this event, there are few of the top guys that lose in the early rounds and you have to scramble if you want a result here. You have to be in tune with the tides, swell direction and everything to make sure you get those waves that get you the score.”

Today’s win marked Slater’s 47th elite tour victory (out of 67 Finals appearances).



Wright secured the best result of his young career today, finishing Runner-Up at the Billabong Pro Tahiti. The progressive Australian was a standout at Teahupo’o, notching perfect rides and impressive victories with ease.

“I thought it was an incredible Final,” Wright said. “We both got really good waves and I felt like I did what I needed to on them. Kelly (Slater) just happened to find ones that opened up a little better. Congrats to him, and hoping I can get him in the next one.”

Travis Logie (ZAF), 32, gained entry into the Billabong Pro Tahiti will the withdrawal of Bobby Martinez (USA), 29, from competition. Formerly sitting at the 44th spot on the ASP World Rankings, Logie’s Equal 3rd place finish at Teahupo’o moves the South African up to 34th on the rankings in hopes of cementing himself as an ASP Top 34 member after the September rotation.

“It’s been an unbelievable week for me,” Logie said. “I don’t think it has all sunk in yet. I was in Europe, I barely made it here in time, I’ve been on borrowed equipment, I’ve been banged up on the reef, I had a re-surf with my good mate Jordy (Smith) and I’ve also scored the best result of my career. It’s all happened very fast. So yeah, I’m happy with how everything’s worked out, but would have liked to have made that Final.”

Josh Kerr (AUS), 27, although one of the standouts in both the free surfs and the event, was not be able to overtake Slater in an inconsistent Semifinal.

“It was pretty frustrating out there,” Kerr said. “We had a little exchange in the beginning and there just weren’t any more opportunities through the heat. I thought we’d have a bit more action with the tide push, but it was the opposite. I’m pretty disappointed. It’s a good result for me of course, just thought I could go a little better.”

Jeremy Flores (FRA), 23, put in some of the most inspiring performances of the event, bagging the biggest waves and even surfing a Perfect 20 heat in yesterday’s idyllic conditions. For his heroics, Flores was awarded the Andy Irons Award for most committed performance of the event. This is the inaugural year for the award, honoring the late ASP and Billabong Pro Tahiti Champion Andy Irons.

“Andy (Irons) meant everything to me,” Flores said. “He has been the guy I’ve looked up to my whole life. In heavy waves, in all waves, he was the best and to earn this award is so special for me. He inspired everyone on tour and he’s been my inspiration in Tahiti. I know he was smiling on this event. Thank you Andy.”

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Kelly Slater (USA) 18.43
2 – Owen Wright (AUS) 17.10

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 14.50 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 10.60
SF 2: Owen Wright (AUS) 19.50 def. Travis Logie (ZAF) 14.40

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Josh Kerr (AUS) 11.94 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 11.83
QF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 17.50 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 6.17
QF 3: Travis Logie (ZAF) 18.07 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 17.14
QF 4: Owen Wright (AUS) 16.74 def. Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 13.10

ASP WORLD TITLE RANKINGS TOP 5 (After Billabong Pro Tahiti)
1. Kelly Slater (USA) 26,950 pts
2. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 26,500 pts
3. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 26,200 pts
4. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 22,750 pts
5. Owen Wright (AUS) 21,900 pts

King Kelly is back on top with victory at the US Open of Surf

Kelly Slater showing up the young guns for the win at the US Open of Surf (Photo:ASP)

After much build up and fanfare as to the arrival of the new school generation at the US Open, it turned out that they were not quite ready to take over the reigns of Pro surfing quite yet. When the final siren blew it was the mercurial Mr Kelly Slater left holding a cheque for $100'000 and once again in Number 1 on the ASP Men's ratings. The kids, Kohole Andino and John John Florence, must have been left scratching their heads as to how after all the hype and song and dance, they let an old man eclipse their efforts - haha, welcome to every surfer for the last few years on tours feelings of inadequacy. Kelly it seems, even after missing the last WCT event in Jbay, has still not lost his desire for victory or pulling the big pay outs! Got to respect the old man.

For us South African's, we were all praying that Royden Bryson could go all the way, but unfortunately he lost out to Yadin Nicol, who ended up making the final. Good news is that after the US Open we have 2 surfers climbing the ratings towards requalification in Travis Logie (44) and now Royden Bryson (64). Two of our youngsters are in the Top 100, Shaun Joubert (70) and Brandon Jackson (91). Lets hope a few more of the boys can lift their games for the rest of year.

ASP Press release:
HUNTINGTON BEACH, California / USA (Sunday, August 7, 2011) – Reigning 10-Time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (Cocoa Beach, FL), 39, has won the 2011 ASP PRIME Nike US Open of Surfing for the first time since 1996, defeating Yadin Nicol (AUS), 26, in a dominant final in two-to-four foot (1 metre) waves at the iconic Huntington Beach Pier.

Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 20, was also victorious when she clinched the final stop on the 2011 ASP Women’s World Title series, the Nike US Open of Surfing, when she topped dangerous wildcard Lakey Peterson (Santa Barbara, CA), 16, in a hard-fought battle.

Slater quickly asserted his dominance in the Final against Nicol when he launched a frontside air-reverse and solidified the ride on the reform to earn an 8.50 and backed the ride up with a 7.77 to put the Australian in an early combination-situation and controlled the heat throughout the entirety of the bout.

“I guess Yadin (Nicol) wanted me to win because he didn’t catch any waves,” Slater said. “I was just really frustrated for him because he was sitting out the back waiting for the big sets and the big sets were close outs. The small ones he was just two far outside and I got them. I think what happened is I got the 8.50 to start and he was just going to be patient. If he got a good one he would have thrown a big rotator, but it just never came.”

Slater went on an absolute rampage on the final day of competition and fought his way back into a tough battle to overtake progressive Hawaiian Dusty Payne (Lahaina, HI), 22, by launching a hail-mary, no-grab backside 360 air. The massive punt garnered the highest single-wave score of Nike US Open of Surfing competition, 9.77 out of 10, as well as the highest heat-total of 17.94 out of 20.

“Dusty (Payne) had priority and he had gone on a couple of lefts that kind of fizzled out on him and he was probably thinking that left was going to do the same thing his other ones did,” Slater said. “It just let me get going on the face enough and I just tried to rotate as hard as I could and somehow the board stuck to my feet.”

Nicol fought hard throughout the entirety of the ASP PRIME competition, taking out dangerous South African Royden Bryson (ZAF), 28, and prodigious Californian Kolohe Andino (San Clemente, CA), 17, on the Final day of competition, but struggled to find a wave in the Final against Slater.

“Kelly started off strong with the 8.5 and I thought I’d wait for a good wave and I think I waited too long,” Nicol said. “At the start of this week I wouldn’t have thought that I’d be in the Final with Kelly. I love it. Sometimes things work out and you make the Final and I’m stoked, I’m over the moon.”

Yadin, who was rated No. 36 entering the US Open of Surfing, now sits at 27th on the ASP World Rankings, moving him inside the coveted ASP Top 32 midyear cut for the halfway mark of the year, but with two events remaining on the ASP World Title Season, Nicol remained guarded in claiming his spot for the final elite events.

“There are still two World Tour events to go so it doesn’t completely change my life just yet,” Nicol said. “It definitely helps the vibe though.”

Fitzgibbons, who finished second on the ASP Women’s World Title Series, was strong on both her forehand and backhand in the final and fought off the determined wildcard to clinch her third elite event on to finish her 2011 season.

“It’s such an unbelievable feeling to get chaired up the beach,” Fitzgibbons said. “There is just a sea of people and it’s one of my biggest achievements. To get three wins this year, it has been a really special year and although I didn’t get the title, I can’t believe I’ve won this event.”

Fitzgibbons feels that there is more to come for the highly-talked about progressive movement in women’s surfing and wildcards such as Lakey Peterson are a perfect example of the future of the sport.

“Today was just about connecting the dots and stepping it up,” Fitzgibbons said. “I think the future is bright for our sport. Lakey (Peterson) is only 16 and she was in both finals in this event it was a great week for her, but to get the win was an amazing way to cap off the year.”

Peterson proved to be a giant killer throughout the entirety of the Women’s Nike US Open of Surfing, taking wins over veteran Melanie Bartels (HAW), 28, ASP Women’s World Title Rookies Tyler Wright (AUS), 17, and Laura Enever (AUS), 19, as well as freshly crowned ASP Women’s World Champion Carissa Moore but was unable to find the scores needed to surpass Fitzgibbons in the Final.

“I’m stoked with the way this week has turned out,” Peterson said. “It was an honor to surf against Sally (Fitzgibbons) and I’m really happy to make the Final in my first World Tour event.”

Peterson, who won the ASP 4-Star Nike US Open of Surfing Pro Junior yesterday, asserted herself as a frontrunner among the progressive movement of women’s surfing via dominant run at the Nike US Open of Surfing. The young Californian was the only competitor to put a stop to Moore’s run of finaling in every ASP Top 17 contest this season when she topped the Hawaiian in their Semifinals matchup.

“Winning yesterday was what I wanted to do, to win in the Juniors and do well in this event,” Peterson said. “My heat against Carissa (Moore) felt like no pressure and I just wanted to go for it and I’m just so excited to win that heat. I’ve always wanted to surf against Carissa. She really pushes my surfing to the next level and is an amazing friend.”

Highlights from the 2011 Nike US Open of surfing can be found at www.usopenofsurfing.com

For media downloads log on to www.usopenofsurfing.com/downloads

For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com

The Nike US Open of Surfing was a massive action sports festival which also includes Skate, BMX, Art, Music and Fashion shows all of which are free to the public.

Nike US Open of Surfing Men’s Final Result:
1 – Kelly Slater (USA) 16.27
2 – Yadin Nicol (AUS) 2.57

Nike US Open of Surfing Men’s Semifinals Results:
SF 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 17.94 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 14.90
SF 2: Yadin Nicol (AUS) 13.44 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 12.87

Nike US Open of Surfing Men’s Quarterfinals Results:
QF 1: Dusty Payne (HAW) 13.93 def. Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 10.10
QF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 15.50 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.27
QF 3: Kolohe Andino (USA) 10.44 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 10.33
QF 4: Yadin Nicol (AUS) 11.60 def. Royden Bryson (ZAF) 8.26

Nike US Open of Surfing Women’s Final Result:
1 – Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 14.23
2 – Lakey Peterson (USA) 12.40

Nike US Open of Surfing Women’s Semifinals Results:
SF 1: Lakey Peterson (USA) 14.67 def. Carissa Moore (HAW) 14.60
SF 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 14.46 def. Coco Ho (HAW) 14.16

Royden Bryson the Silent Assasin at the US Open of Surfing

Royden going about his business at HB (Photo: ASP)

It has been a good month for South African surfing. Jordy Smith made the Semis at the Mr Price and then backed that up with a second victory in 2 years at the Billabong. Much of the talk though has been who else is going to do well for SA in the waters of the ASP World Tour. Most of the chatter has centered around the names of young guys like Shaun Joubert and Chad du Toit, the super groms dominating in the Junior contests and starting to attack the tour.

But, it is another man who is stepping up to the plate at the richest contest in professional surfing, a man who normally steers away from the limelight and the circus that is professional surfing in California. Royden Bryson has worked like a silent assassin through the rounds at this years contest to earn himself a Quarter Final Berth. No song and dance, just head down and win heats. In fact, today, after making the Quarters, was the first time I was able to find a photo of the man in action and he has won all his heats. Says a lot when you notice the hubbub going on over some of the US surfers like Kohole Andino. I will guarantee the rest of the field know that Royden is around. He has made his presence felt over the years, both on the CT and the QS. They all know what the little pocket rocket from SA can do. In the small bowling beach break of Huttington Beach it would take a brave man not to put some bills on the explosive goofy footer pulling off the biggest victory of his career.

Live Broadcast starts this evening - US Open of Surfing

So keep an eye out and watch the live broadcast tonight - we might well have to start blowing some Vuvulezas at volume! Make us proud Roy!

(Notice the absence of Roy in the highlights video!)

Asp Press Release:
Thanks to stadium seating, sideline pier access, and jumbo big screens, the south side of the HB pier is the closest thing our sport has to an arena. When the waves are good it’s the best venue in professional surfing and today the waves were going off.

There was no Huntington hopping going on.

Recently the ASP has copped a lot of heat for its decision to bring events to locations with questionable wave quality—and though Huntington has always had that wrap, you’d never know it looking at the ocean today. For two hours Dusty, Dane, Slater, Taj, and Kolohe went absolutely loony. Kelly scored two Nine’s. Taj got a dry tube (below). Kolohe nailed a near perfect 10 for the move of the event—a frontside grab air reverse on a meaty closeout section.

And who won? We all did. Today was good for our sport. Good for the sponsors, fans, and the surfers. Quality waves brought out quality surfing. The spectators were treated to the most high performance action in the history of the US Open and none of the surfers lost. (Round 4 is non-elimination)

Kelly’s in the quarters. Joining him is Dane, Dusty, and Royden Bryson. In Round 5 Evan Geiselman is matched up with Taj and John John comes up against Kolohe.

This thing is setting up for a banger finish this weekend, let’s just hope the waves stick around.—Zander Morton

Nike US Open of Surfing Round of 12 Results:
Heat 1: Dusty Payne (HAW) 17.17, Richard Christie (NZL) 12.63, Evan Geiselman (USA) 9.47
Heat 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.77, Taj Burrow (AUS) 14.50, Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 10.00
Heat 3: Dane Reynolds (USA) 16.43, Kolohe Andino (USA) 10.60, Yadin Nicol (AUS) 8.93
Heat 4: Royden Bryson (ZAF) 12.90, Thiago Camarao (BRA) 12.53, John John Florence (HAW) 10.80

Nike US Open of Surfing Round 24 Results:
Heat 7: Kolohe Andino (USA) 14.06 def. Jesse Mendes (BRA) 7.87
Heat 8: Dane Reynolds (USA) 11.17 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 6.77
Heat 9: Yadin Nicol (AUS) 14.33 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 11.83
Heat 10: Royden Bryson (ZAF) 11.10 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 9.84
Heat 11: Thiago Camarao (BRA) 11.17 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 10.77
Heat 12: John John Florence (HAW) 15.83 def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.60

Billabong Pro - Jordy Smith wins back to back Titles

Jordy Smith, the Champ, with cohort, Laces, and Red Bull SA chief, Tristan. (Photo: ASP)

Wow! After a worrying start and lets be honest, not the best waves ever seen at a WCT, let alone Jbay, this contest ended up being one of the best ever. Surfing was taken to the next level, with eventual winner (Boy the Saffers are happy!) Jordy Smith and Josh Kerr pushingn the rest of the crew to pull out the new school moves. In the end it was Jordy and Mick, who kinda flew under the radar till beating his best mate Joel Parko in Semi 2. But, Jordy, after a bit of a wobble in Round 4, never looked like losing and dominated the last 3 rounds with amazing scores in the deteriorating waves. Mr Smith also took the Nixon Winner Takes All award for his incredible wave in Round 5, which saw one of the biggest Air reverses ever made in a heat - His Girldfriend is apparently very happy with her new $10'000 Watch. Well done Jordy, you make us proud my man!



The ASP Press Release:
JEFFREYS BAY, South Africa (Sunday, July 24, 2011) – Jordy Smith (ZAF), 23, has taken out the 2011 Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay in a hard-fought Final over Mick Fanning (AUS), 30, in front of the raucous and hardy hometown crowd on the beach and hundreds of thousands watching online.

Event No. 4 of 11 on the 2011 ASP World Title season, the Billabong Pro culminated in dramatic fashion today with “victory at sea”, three-to-four foot (1 – 1.5 metre) surf and the world’s best surfers displayed their comprehensive abilities to shred anything from yesterday’s perfection to today’s challenging conditions.

Smith continuously posted impressive scores throughout his Quarterfinal, Semfinal and Final heats, but it was his local knowledge that allowed his to select the best waves in the Final to overtake an in-form Fanning. The win was met with an eruption from those in attendance braving the harsh weather, and Smith was cheered up the beach to an emotional audience.

“It’s been an incredible week for me,” Smith said. “All the support of the people at Jeffreys Bay, Garth (Tarlow), Steve (Smith), my girlfriend Lyndall (Jarvis), my mom and dad and everyone else. It’s been a really special week for me and I’m so happy right now.”

Moving from 5th to 2nd on the ASP World Title rankings, the young South African is now firmly in the hunt and will utilize the confidence attained today to propel him through the latter half of the year.

“Mick (Fanning) has surfed amazing all week,” Smith said. “He’s always an inspiration and he’s right there with everyone in the hunt for the title. Today’s a huge win for me. Last year, it was very emotional. To back it up this year just feels really, really good. It’s huge for my confidence and I’m looking forward to the rest of the year.”



Fanning, who claimed the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay in 2002 and 2006, appeared to find his form this morning, dusting Gold Coast flyboy Josh Kerr (AUS), 27, and Joel Parkinson (AUS), 30, en route his Runner-Up finish. Today’s placing sees Fanning move from 8th to 4th on the ASP World Title Rankings.

“It was really difficult out there today,” Fanning said. “Three heats yesterday and three heats today and felt like the arms wanted to fall off. Big congratulations to Jordy (Smith) though. It was great surfing. It’s inspirational stuff and I’m looking forward to the next one.”



Parkinson, 2008 Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay winner, was in sensational form this year, consistently notching up high scores throughout the event before falling to a rampaging Fanning in the Semifinals.

“The conditions are a bit tedious today but every now and then there’s a good wave,” Parkinson said. “Everyone is in the same boat too – we all have to deal with it. Shame I couldn’t find the same rhythm that Mick (Fanning) did out there, but that’s how it goes sometimes.”



With his Equal 3rd finish, Parkinson ascends to the frontrunner position in the hunt for the 2011 ASP World Title, but the perennial threat remains cautious when regarding the remainder of the season.

“I don’t really think about that yet,” Parkinson said. “It’s only the fourth event of the year and I’ve been in this position before. I’m happy with my surfing and my boards and I’ll keep my eyes on the next heat.”

Adrian Buchan (AUS), 28, former No. 17 on the ASP World Title rankings, led the goofy-footed assault on Jeffreys Bay throughout the event and his Equal 3rd place finish today moves the Australian up to 11th heading into the next event in Tahiti.

“I missed a good one at the start and that really let Jordy (Smith) get on top early in the heat,” Buchan said. “I always felt like I could come back but it just didn’t happen for me. It’s still an excellent result for me and I’m excited about the next few events.”

Alejo Muniz (BRA), 21, 2011 ASP Dream Tour rookie, matched his best result of the year with and Equal 5th place finish. Muniz now sits well inside the cutoff for the ASP Top 34 rotation in August, and will remain a fixture at the elite level throughout the duration of the season.

“I never thought I would have good results in my rookie year,” Muniz said. “I am surfing with my heroes and to be getting through heats is what I always dreamed of as a little kid. This matches my best result this year from the Gold Coast and I’m stoked to be safe for the August cutoff.”

Muniz, along with fellow rookie Julian Wilson (AUS), 22, both finished Equal 5th at the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay.

Highlights from the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay will be available via http://www.billabongpro.com

The next stop on the 2011 ASP World Title season will be the Billabong Pro Tahiti from August 20 – 31, 2011.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG PRO JEFFREYS BAY FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.60
2 – Mick Fanning (AUS) 14.83

BILLABONG PRO JEFFREYS BAY SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 17.46 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.87
SF 2: Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.47 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 11.93

BILLABONG PRO JEFFREYS BAY QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.10 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 8.94
QF 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 16.77 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.90
QF 3: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.83 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 8.16
QF 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.40 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 5.43

ASP WORLD TITLE TOP 10 (After Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay):
1. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 25700 pts
2. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 24750 pts
3. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 22250 pts
4. Mick Fanning (AUS) 19500 pts
5. Taj Burrow (AUS) 18250 pts
6. Kelly Slater (USA) 16950 pts
7. Michel Bourez (PYF) 16000
8. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 15000
9. Josh Kerr (AUS) 13900 pts
9. Owen Wright (AUS) 13900 pts

Mr Price Pro - Final Day and Results

Pat Gudauskas flew under some people's radar to earn a well deserved victory at the Mr Price Pro (Photo: ASP)

 The Mr Price Pro is done and dusted and what a comp it was. I was lucky enough to witness the action for the last 2 days and it was amazing. Friday saw some of the biggest tubes ever ridden in a contest and the action continued on Saturday. My standout for the event was definately John John Florence, but I have to tip my hat to Pat Gudauskas, who surfed solidly all event to end up with the win.

BALLITO, KwaZulu Natal/South Africa (Saturday, July 9, 2011) – Patrick Gudauskas, 25, (San Clemente, California, USA) kept the ASP Prime Mr Price Pro Ballito crown in the family, earning the first ASP PRIME victory of his career by defeating John John Florence, 18, (HAW) in the final at Surfers Beach today.
Just two years after his brother Tanner won the event in 2009, Gudauskas stamped the family name on the 2011 edition of the Mr Price Pro Ballito, defeating Florence by 11.84 to 8.03 (out of 20.00) rocketing from World No. 27 to World No. 15 on the ASP World Rankings.
“This is crazy! I’m so psyched right now,” Gudauskas said. “This is definitely the best event I’ve ever competed in and maybe the best one I’ve ever watched. It has been flawless for a whole week and we’re all psyched to be in Ballito.”
Stringing together a powerful combination of lip bashes and critical floaters on the tapering Ballito walls, Gudauskas took the lead with a 7.17 (out of ten) before landing a massive air-drop floater to seal his victory off just a 4.67.
“I just got lucky in the final,” Gudauskas said, “John John was the man to beat at this event and it was a tough heat. I went for turns while he was looking for barrels and I think he would have ‘smoked’ me, had he found one!”
Gudauskas’s achievement marks one for the record books, the Gudauskas brothers becoming the second pair of siblings to win Mr Price Pro after the Irons Brothers, late 3X ASP World Champion Andy and Bruce (HAW), did so in 2004 and 2005 respectively.
“It’s crazy, people were asking me about that all week and I knew it would be a difficult task to defend Tanner’s title,” Gudauskas said. “Somehow I pulled it off and the fact that Andy and Bruce did it, makes it even more special.”

John John Florence was my surfer of the event. (Photo: ASP)

Florence proved a crowd favourite as the standout barrel rider of the event. Netting the day’s highest heat score a 19.40 (out of 20.00) for a pair of cavernous ‘Backdoor’ style barrels during the quarterfinals, Florence stormed into the final where unfortunately the barrels dried up, ending the young Hawaiian’s hopes of lifting this year’s trophy.
“It was really hard, the wind came up and I was tired but I’m really stoked for Pat,” Florence said. “This morning was so fun, the waves were perfect and clean and there were a lot of barrels. I just kept getting lucky and getting into the good ones, it was a lot of fun.”
Florence’s performance comes just weeks after capturing a third place finish at the ASP PRIME in Portugal and sees the youngster move up to World No. 39 on the rankings.
“I’ve had a great run lately and I’ll be looking to do a few more contest and hopefully get a few more results.”

Jordy Smith was surfing rock solid and just lost out on a repeat Final. (Photo: ASP)

  Defending champion South African Jordy Smith, 23 (Dbn, ZAF) reached the semifinals placing equal third, advancing from World No. 5 to World No. 2 on the ASP World Rankings.
“It was a bunch of fun but it’s just a pity there weren’t any waves in that heat,” Smith said. “You win some and you lose some and it’s still a great result that I will be looking to take into the next event in Jeffreys Bay.”
Suffering one of the slower heats of the day, Smith waited for the set waves and was quickly out-scored by Gudauskas. The American got to work further down the line slotting into barrel after barrel to take the lead with 5.23 and 6.33 rides.
With less than three minutes remaining, Smith had no choice but to take off on a smaller right-hander, working it for all it was worth to post a 6.33. Falling just short of the required score, the timer blew over for South Africa’s 2011 Mr Price Pro title hopes.


Julian Wilson, 22, (AUS) showed great consistency adding an equal third today, to his recent ASP Prime victory in Portugal and climbs to World No. 16 on the rankings.
Wilson was narrowly defeated by Florence in their semifinal decider that saw Florence slot into a fantastic 8.33 barrel to take an early lead. Wilson clawed his way back with fast, on-the-lip maneuvers coming ever so close to taking the lead until Florence shut him down with just a 2.87 off the final wave, to advance into the final.
“I’m definitely happy with my result,” Wilson said. “That little bit of wind came up and it was hard to come out of the barrel. John John was by far the standout of this whole contest and that was pretty much like surfing a Final. He’s the one to beat at this event for sure and I hope he goes all the way.”
Brazilian Jesse Mendes, 18, (BRA) posted the only perfect-10 ride of the day during his Quarterfinal clash against Smith. The Brazilian talent slotting into a dredging Ballito cavern disappearing for several seconds but without a second high scoring ride was relegated to an equal fifth place finish.
The Mr Price Pro Ballito enjoyed flawless waves throughout the week and will go down in South African surfing history as some of the best waves ever surfed in competition.
For more information, photos and highlights log on to www.mrpricepro.com
Final Results:
1 – Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 11.84
2 – John John Florence (HAW) 8.03
Semifinal
SF 1: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 11.70 def. Jordy Smith(ZAF) 11.56
SF 2: John John Florence (HAW) 11.20 def. Julian Wilson(AUS) 10.83
Quarterfinals:
QF 1: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 17.10 def. Junior Faria (BRA) 13.76
QF 2: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.07 def. Jesse Mendes (BRA) 12.73
QF 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) 16.03 def. Heath Joske (AUS) 8.87pts
QF 4: John John Florence (HAW) 19.40 def. Blake Thornton (AUS) 9.34pts

The Judging Sucked - Billabong Pro Rio Wrap Up

The much talked about floater. (Photo: ASP)

The Rio event is done and we find ourselves with a new man atop the ASP ratings. Adriano De Souza won the Bong Pro Rio and in the process moved to the top of the ratings. One wonders how well that success sits with him though after a week of woeful judging and huge repercussions for the title fight. Kelly Slater bowed out in in Round 3 heat, though I feel he was simply beaten for once. Bobby surfed well to beat him, but some might say he was over scored. Others will point to the fact that this normally happens for Kelly. Next up in the title chase was Jordy Smith up against Josh Kerr. The judging had been rewarding 3 turns or more and even good tube rides and excellent airs had been getting lower scores, till this heat. Suddenly Kerr beats Jordy with a single air score. Mick Fanning was up later in the third round and he exited to a Brazilian with very close scores. Take a look at the 3 heats and make up your own mind.





Ok, so the Title Race is now wide open and we entered the Quarter Finals. Step up Da Souza versus Owen Wright. Adriano started the heat well with a massive floater and I do mean massive. Where I disagree, is that he scored a 8.3 for this. In a contest where multiple maneuver waves had been scoring way higher on average. The heat progresses and Owen fights back. Towards the end of the heat, Owen needs a 7.6 for the win. He paddles into a great looking wave, smacks a big first turn, does a second good turn and then finishes off with a highly difficult and pretty big Slob Air. We wait for the scores and he gets a 6.6. In another heat it could have been an 8. Take a look, then see the excuses from the ASP below.



The Asp responded:

Now, Adriano’s final wave was a lot bigger than what was shown online as the camera missed the bottom half of the wave – this makes any subsequent analysis of the heat nearly impossible when utilizing only the Heats on Demand version. When De Souza lands you can see the size of the whitewash behind him and the amount of distance that he covered during the floater, how critical the section was and how difficult it would have been to land would not have been entirely visible on the webcast, and is not representation in the Heats on Demand.
The part of the sandbar that De Souza executed the maneuver was waist-deep, hence the critical section. The waves on the final day were two-to-three-maneuver waves. The surfers could take the smaller ones that would run a bit further, but were a lot softer and easier waves to ride, or they could take the set waves which were a lot shorter but also a lot harder to ride

(I will get back to the size of the waves in a moment, when we get to the final.)

Owen’s rides in the Quarterfinal heat were on the smaller waves that offered more room but less punch. During the final day, many single-turn waves received scores that would not normally be that high, but as the waves only allowed for two-to-three turns, we had adjusted the scale. It’s important to note that there is nothing in the criteria that says surfers must complete multiple turns. We’re in the business of surfers going big and that’s what we’ve been seeing in the last 18 months.
The vision also fails to truly reflect the speed of the waves. The set waves flew down the bank while the smaller ones ran off a lot slower. The camera angle often failed to truly reflect the surfing being done at the time, as well as the depth of the wave, where the surfer took the wave in relation to the bank and how critical the sections are.
Our job as the judging panel is to score the surfers that are pushing the criteria to the limit. Both of Owen’s airs were good maneuvers (they are also the bread and butter for nearly every surfer on tour these), but executed on the easy sections of the waves. Where as Adriano’s floater was done on such a critical part of the wave. I would probably add that if Owen’s first turns on both scoring waves were bigger or more critical, then both waves would have been scored higher.
I pose the question, would you, as a fan of top-level surfing, prefer the surfers to do a good turn on a small easy wave or a good turn on a wave that is going flat-out with a heaving, unforgiving closeout section?
It was absolutely a close heat, but we have close heats every day as we are dealing with the best surfers in the world.

Thank you ASP Judging Panel. Then why in the final did Taj Burrows not only catch bigger waves, do bigger turns,only to come in second? Check the heat out.


My bottom line is that the judging has to be consistent. In this contest is was not. It is going to have a major influence on the WCT Title Race and if I were one or two of the surfers, I would be pissed! It has become a scene that the ASP have had to answer to, because of how important this may turn out to be. They have even tried to back their response with a lame attempt at discrediting the Video of the Owen/Adrianno heat by saying - Full disclosure: the ASP International Media Department is looking into improving the current Heats on Demand (HOD) product that the events currently provide. The current Heats on Demand product consistently mis-tags waves with incorrect scores, fails to show completed rides and to provide an accurate representation of what is actually occurring during the event. We appreciate the feedback from our fans and are looking into remedying the issue as soon as possible. Lets hope the ASP Judges sort out their criteria and consistency before Jbay, or we might have a farce on our hands! What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let me know.