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

Mr Price Pro - Day 5 - Monster Tubes light up Ballito

Flying out of Cape Town this morning at some ridik hour, I could hardly have expected what awaited me in the sleepy coastal town of Ballito, just north of Durban. I had literally just walked onto the beach as the whole crowd started screaming, swung my camera onto the ocean and caught, John John Florence, as he caught one of the heaviest tubes I have ever watched. It was mental! My picture below, with the ASP photogs angle below. I just wish I had got there earlier to see Jordy's heat, as he apparently got 2 of these beast tubes. Looking forward to the final day tomorrow and hopefully a repeat of Jordy's victory...

The front angle of John John Florence's amazing tube (Photo: Captain Kai)

 BALLITO, KwaZulu Natal/South Africa (Friday, July 8, 2011) – The ASP Prime Mr Price Pro Ballito is set to go down in history, as Surfers Beach once again delivered flawless two-point-five-meter (8ft) barrels that had surfers calling some of the best waves ever surfed in, or out of competition.
Two rounds of 12 (non-elimination and elimination) were completed with the winners of the non- elimination round advancing directly into the quarterfinals, while the remaining eight surfers battled through the repo charge rounds for four remaining spots in this year’s competition.
Defending champion and current ASP World No. 5 Jordy Smith (Durban) showed exactly why he is a world title contender. Dusting off an old 6’4 ‘gun’ (big wave surfboard) that his dad brought down for him the day before, Smith rode two of the heaviest barrels of the day, advancing into the quarterfinals in first place.
“I knew that one wave was a pretty heavy wave and I thought either I’ll get a massive score or I’ll get a massive beat down and as it turned out I got both,” Smith said.
Smith posted the highest individual wave of the day, a 9.80 (out of ten) for a throaty, set wave barrel, bursting through the suicidal closeout section to advance in first place ahead of Kieren Perrow (AUS) and Shaun Joubert (RSA).
“We weren’t really battling each other out there, we were battling the ocean trying to find those perfect waves,” Smith said. “It is definitely difficult but when you get a good one, it is worth it. I’m stoked to advance straight into the quarterfinals but I wouldn’t have minded getting a few more 9.8’s either.”
Pipeline specialist John John Florence (HAW) was right at home in the double-overhead surf, armed with one of his tried and tested ‘Pipe’ quiver, the 18-year-old netted the day’s highest heat total of 18.43 (out of 20.00) to earn his place into the quarterfinals.
“It’s a lot like the barrels at Backdoor (right hand waves at Pipeline), it’s big and round and maybe a little bit faster and longer,” Florence said. “I came here a few years ago and it got pretty big so I brought my Pipe boards and I’m happy I did.”
Air-dropping into an enormous barrel, disappearing for several seconds, Florence emerged cleanly to post a 9.50 (out of ten) taking the win over Kai Otton (AUS) and Jano Belo (BRA).
“I was paddling back out when I saw that wave standup and I just air dropped straight into it, the waves are amazing and I cant wait to get back out there.”
ASP World No. 27 Patrick Gudauskas (USA) looked perfectly in-tune with his equipment posting a faultless performance against proven big wave surfer Kieren Perrow (AUS).
“These waves are just unbelievable, it’s one of the most enjoyable events I’ve surfed in so I’m frothing,” Gudauskas said. “I knew this wave had some juice and I’m riding a step-up designed for a more hollow, powerful wave so I’m lucky I packed it.”


Landing a critically late air-drop, Gudauskas slotted stylishly into an expansive cavern to top Perrow’s 9.27 with a 9.40 (both out of ten) and advanced into the quarterfinals where he will take on Brazil’s Junior Faria when the competition resumes.
“Kieren is one of my favourite barrel riders and when I saw his nine-point ride I was stressing,” Gudauskas said. “I knew I needed a good one and luckily I stuck that drop, the wave stood up and I came flying out.”
Junior Faria (BRA) found his feet in some of the toughest conditions of the morning, tucking into a rare double barrel opener for a 9.33, to advance into the quarterfinals ahead of Gudauskas and Jesse Mendes (BRA).
“It’s really heavy, you cant just choose any wave to get scores because you’re going to take a long time to come back, even with the skis,” Faria said. “It’s a matter of finding one good wave in thirty minutes.”
Heath Joske (AUS) completed a dream heat, riding another of the day’s standout barrels to advance with a near-perfect 9.23 ahead of Wilson (AUS) and Blake Thornton (AUS).
“The waves are absolutely pumping,” Joske said. “These are waves surfers dream of surfing! You cant ask for better conditions, its amazing.”
ASP World No. 30 Julian Wilson (AUS) could hardly contain his excitement when he laid eyes upon the ocean this morning. Holding nothing back Wilson made his way through repo charge round defeating Jano Belo (BRA) for a spot in the quarterfinals.
“I came over with 12 boards because I’m here for three weeks and I didn’t want to run out, “ Wilson said. “I think that’s why I was so excited this morning because I had the right equipment. The waves were phenomenal! I saw some of the best waves of my life this morning, I saw one that was like 8ft Kirra (Australia) so I’m so stoked I came to this event.”
Fresh off a victory in Portugal, Wilson’s new found form could see the ASP World Tour rookie prove unstoppable in Ballito tomorrow.
“I had a tough start to the year and things just feel like they are clicking together now,” Wilson said. “I’ve been putting in the hard work and trying to figure out what works and it feels like I’ve found my groove. It’s awesome confidence to take to JBay.”
Also advancing into the quarterfinals were Jesse Mendes who advanced ahead of Shaun Joubert (AUS) and Blake Thornton (AUS) who took down Kai Otton (AUS).
With another great day of surf expected tomorrow, organisers are hoping to crown the 2011 Mr Price Pro Ballito Champion by midday. The action will get underway at 08H00 and will see a Legends Exhibition featuring South African surfing icons such as Shaun Tomson, Gavin Rudolph, Jonathan Paarman and others paddle out before the final. The call will be made at 07h30.
-ends
RESULTS
Non-Elimination Round of 12:
Heat 1: Junior Faria (BRA) 12.83; Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 11.44; Jesse Mendes(BRA) 5.20pts
Heat 2: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.97; Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 5.03; Kieren Perrow(AUS) 4.40pts
Heat 3: Heath Joske (AUS) 15.40; Julian Wilson (AUS) 15.24; Blake Thornton(AUS) 10.20
Heat 4: John John Florence (HAW) 18.43; Kai Otton( AUS) 15.23; Jano Belo(BRA) 2.00
Elimination Round of 12
Heat 1: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 13.90 def Kieren Perrow (AUS) 13.44
Heat 2: Jesse Mendes (BRA) 13.50 def Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 12.26
Heat 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) 15.53 def Jano Belo (BRA) 9.00
Heat 4: Blake Thornton (AUS) 8.37 def Kai Otton (AUS) 7.84
Upcoming Heats
Quarterfinals
QF 1: Junior Faria (BRA) vs Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
QF 2: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs Jesse Mendes (BRA)
QF 3: Heath Joske (AUS) vs Julian Wilson (AUS)
QF 4: John John Florence (HAW) vs Blake Thornton (AUS)

Mr Price Pro - Day 3 - Brazilians Throw Down

Junior Faria putting it on the rail in big conditions. (Photo: ASP)

 BALLITO, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa (Wednesday, July 6, 2011) – Waves in excess of three-meters poured through the Surfers Beach lineup, sending surfers scrambling for their big wave boards on day three of the ASP PRIME Mr Price Pro Ballito.
As mountains of water exploded along the shallow sand bank it was the Brasilian contingent that shone the brightest, with eight out of the ten competing advancing through the round of 48 today.
Multiple ASP World Junior Champion Pablo Paulino (BRA) lead the South American charge posting the day’s highest heat score of 16.86 (out of 20.00), to advance in first place ahead of Nic Muscroft (AUS).
“The waves were really heavy out there today,” Paulino said. “I tried to stay in tune with what conditions were doing and I was lucky to find that barrel.”
Surfing off a low centre of gravity, driving plenty of power through his legs, Paulino combined flashy fins-free turns with a clean barrel ride to post the highest wave score of the day, an 8.93 (out of 10.00).
Aerial maestro and World Ranked No. 17 Gabriel Medina (BRA) earned his second convincing heat win of the event, his impressive top-to-bottom attack notching a massive 16.00 heat total that left his opponents in a combinational situation (needing two scores to beat him).
“There were no air sections out there today so I just tried to find the best waves and pack some power into my turns,” Medina said. “I think the judges were looking for commitment out there so I tried to show them that today.”
Picking off two of the biggest set waves, Medina’s risky free-surf approach was well received by both the judges and the crowd.
Junior Faria (BRA) took the third of the day’s victories for Brasil, riding just three waves to advance off a pair of six-point rides. Brandon Jackson (ZAF) finished in second place, the pair eliminating early event standout Kolohe Andino (USA) and Hodei Collazo (EUK) from the event.
Wiggolly Dantas, Jesse Mendes, Jano Belo and Messias Felix joined their fellow countrymen in the next round by advancing in second places respectively.
Tour veteran and proven big-wave surfer Kieren Perrow (AUS) opened his account with a stand-up barrel ride, lightning-snap and closeout re-entry to post an excellent 8.38 for a first place finish over Jesse Mendes (BRA), Granger Larsen (HAW) and Royden Bryson (ZAF).
“There were some really good waves out there and if you got a good one you had to make the most of it,” Perrow said. “It’s fun when it’s like this! It’s really powerful, very good for turns and there’s the odd tube ride so you really can’t ask for much more.”


ASP World No. 30 Julian Wilson (AUS) took a strategic approach to his round of 48 heat putting scores on the scoreboard early. Committing to every last maneuver, Wilson advanced in first ahead of Blake Thornton (AUS), the pair-eliminating trialist Beyrick De Vries (ZAF) from the event.
“Right before my heat I saw some waves peeling a little deeper so I went out early to make sure I could paddle all the way down to the inside and it worked out,” Wilson said. “It’s so fun having a lot of swell, there’s no hassling and its kind of victory at sea out there.”
Defending Champion Jordy Smith (Durban) dominated his round of 48 heat with just two rides. Posting a 6.17 and a 5.67 (out of ten) Smith defeated Kiron Jabour (HAW), Austin Ware (USA) and Corey Lopez (USA).
“I was looking to get a quick start and I just wanted to wait for those really good ones,” Smith said. “It’s a gamble but there are some great rides when you get them and it’s a lot of fun.”
Fellow South African Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay) revealed his affinity for large surf linking together beautiful open faced carves to seal victory over second place and fellow advancing South African Sean Holmes (CT).
“We go around the world surfing one foot waves so it’s good to surf a bit of juice,” Joubert said. “I am a bit more comfortable when it’s bigger, all our waves in South Africa have some power so it’s definitely what I prefer.”
American Patrick Gudauskas rode one of the best barrels of the morning, dropping straight into a gaping tube to snatch the lead with a 7.50 and following up with a 6.33, to take the win over Wiggolly Dantas (BRA).
John John Florence (HAW) and Kai Otton (AUS) put on a show towards the end of the day exchanging great rides with Florence topping Otton 15.40 to 14.86.
The action looks set to continue tomorrow with more large surf on the way. For more information log on to www.mrpricepro.com. The next call is 07h00 tomorrow morning.
Mr Price Pro Ballito ROUND OF 48 RESULTS
Heat 1: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 13.83; Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 10.66; Josh Kerr (AUS) 8.20; Dale Staples (ZAF) 5.27
Heat 2: Junior Faria (BRA) 12.67; Brandon Jackson (ZAF) 9.20; Kolohe Andino (USA) 7.53; Hodei Collazo (EUK) 7.33
Heat 3: Pablo Paulino (BRA) 16.86; Nic Muscroft (AUS) 13.90; Glenn Hall (IRL) 10.37; Rudy Palmboom (ZAF) 9.27
Heat 4: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 15.16; Jesse Mendes (BRA) 10.47; Granger Larsen (HAW) 9.17; Royden Bryson (ZAF) 4.70
Heat 5: Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 11.34; Sean Holmes (ZAF)
11.00; Jay Quinn (NZL) 6.20; Sebastien Zietz (HAW) 4.53
Heat 6: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 11.84; Kiron Jabour (HAW) 10.40; Austin Ware (USA) 5.27; Corey Lopez (HAW) 2.37
Heat 7: Maxime Huscenot (REU) 11.37; Brendon Gibbons (ZAF) 9.10; Stu Kennedy (AUS) 7.83; Adam Robertson (AUS) 2.33
Heat 8: Julian Wilson (ZAF) 14.16; Blake Thornton (AUS) 8.37; Beyrick De Vries (ZAF) 7.60; Alain Riou (PYF) 7.00
Heat 9: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 16.00; Jano Belo (BRA) 8.60; David Van Zyl (ZAF) 6.03; Joan Duru (FRA) 5.80
Heat 10: Richard Christie (NZL) 13.27; Heath Joske (AUS) 12.17; William Cardoso (BRA) 9.84; Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 6.53
Heat 11: John John Florence (HAW) 15.40; Kai Otton (AUS) 14.86; Tiago Pires (PRT) 12.53; Damien HObgood (USA) 8.90
Heat 12: Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 12.27; Felix Messias (BRA) 11.47; Adrian Toyon (REU) 10.33; Dave Cathels (AUS) 7.93

Mr Price Pro - Day 2 - Some thoughts from Shaun Thompson

The waves continue to come for the Mr price Pro at Ballito. After an amazing first day, the waves were not as perfect for Day 2, but still very contestable. Sean Holmes continued his climb up the rounds and will now meet SA's top surfer, Jordy Smith, in Round 3. This could be a very interesting battle! There is a large contingent of SA surfers still in the comp and lets hope that trend continues. Day 3 has started and the swell is pulsing.

Julian Wilson shralping all comers. (Photo: ASP)

BALLITO, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (Tuesday, June 5, 2011) – The action continued on day two of the ASP PRIME Mr Price Pro Ballito, with the remaining 48 surfers in the round of 96 showing their class in the wind-affected waves at Surfers Beach today.

After a powerful north-easterly wind forced organisers to delay the start of competition until 10h30, the event enjoyed five hours of high performance surfing with the round of 96 completed as a new cold front moved over the KwaZulu-Natal province.

Brasilian wunderkind Gabriel Medina lived up his reputation as a future world-beater, producing the day’s standout performance by topping the scoreboard with a 16.43 (out of 20.00) to advance in first place ahead of Heathe Joske (AUS).

Scalping victory on the ASP PRIME tour in Santa Catarina, Brasil earlier this year, Medina impressed the judges with both his barrel riding skills and powerful open-faced turns, posting a 7.17 (out of 10.00) followed by the highest wave score of the day, an 8.83.

“I’m stoked to get through, I got two good rides and I’m happy for that,” Medina said.

‘Portuguese tiger’ Tiago Pires found his rhythm early in the heat and despite arriving late last night, showed no signs of jetlag casually extending his lead over his closest rival Klee Strachan (ZAF), to advance in first place with a pair of seven-point rides .

“I’ve been really stressed at contests lately so I tried to stay calm and find my rhythm out there,” Pires said. “This is a really powerful wave, and there is a lot of talent at this event so it’s going to be a very exciting next few days.”


ASP World No. 30 Julian Wilson (AUS) stamped his authority over fellow countrymen Stuart Kennedy and Mitch Coleborn, adapting to the changing conditions by replacing aerials for lighting fast top to bottom surfing that saw him advance with 14.07 to Kennedy’s 12.77.

“The wind was perfect for airs in the heat before mine but conditions changed in my heat, so I had to change my strategy,” Wilson said. “Mitch and Stuart are really good surfers so I wanted to go out there and find the best waves. I was really nervous for some reason, so it was good to wash the nerves out.”

Adam Robertson (AUS) washed away his nerves with a series of sweeping turns, finishing with a critical floater that showed impressive commitment earning him the heat win with a 7.83 (out of ten) top wave score.

Robertson advanced ahead of trialist winner and north coast talent Beyrick De Vries (ZAF) eliminating Adrian Buchan (AUS) and Kai Barger (HAW) form the event.

De Vries revealed his intimate knowledge of the North Coast, sniffing out a rare barrel before punting a massive closeout re-entry to join a total of ten South African surfers who have advanced into the round of 48.

“I think the real highlight of this event for me so far was beating my super hero Sean (Holmes) in the trials yesterday,” De Vries said. “I used to watch him take down Andy Irons (three time ASP World Champion) in Jeffreys Bay, so to beat him was just amazing.”

Brendon Gibbens (Cape Town) and David Van Zyl (Dbn) were the final two advancing surfers from South Africa today.

Gibbens showed great form to take second behind barrel master Blake Thornton (AUS) who dominated the heat from the get go, posting a 7.67 opener.

“It was round one of a Prime so it was pretty nerve-wracking,” Gibbens said. “Conditions cleaned up a little in my heat and I was stoked to make it.”

David Van Zyl earned his place into the event as the first alternate replacing Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY), whose flight was cancelled out of Tahiti yesterday.

Van Zyl advanced in second behind heat winner Matt Wilkinson (AUS), the pair eliminating Steven Sawyer (ZAF) and Nathaniel Curran (USA) from the event.

Former ASP World Junior Champion Maxime Huscenot (Reunion) unleashed a powerful series of top to bottom snaps and was rewarded with a 6.83 and 5.30 advancing in first place.

“Its really tricky today, yesterday saw amazing conditions and I think I got lucky in the beginning,” Huscenot said. “This is my first interview of the year because I’ve got second or lost during the first round every event so it feels great to win a heat and make it through.”

The afternoon saw exciting performances from Hawaii’s John Johns Florence (HAW) and Australian Davey Cathels (AUS), Florence winning his heat with 14.77 while Cathels went to town posting a 16.16 to charge into the next round.

The final 12 heats of the round of 96 were completed and with the cold front expected to bring more swell tomorrow, the event could get underway with the round of 48 in the morning. The next call will be made at 07h00 for a possible 07h30 start.

Mr Price Pro Ballito Round of 96 Results:
Heat 13: Adam Robertson (AUS) 13.66; Beyrick De Vries (ZAF) 12.67; Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.87; Kai Barger (HAW) 9.96
Heat 14: Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 12.13; Alain Riou (PYF) 11.77; Tanner Gudauskas (HAW) 10.94; Tom Whittaker (AUS) 9.27
Heat 15: Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.07; Stu Kennedy (AUS) 12.77; Tim Boal (FRA) 11.14; Mitchell Coleborn (AUS) 8.10
Heat 16: Blake Thornton (AUS) 13.17; Brendon Gibbens (RSA)10.84; Marc Lacomare (FRA) 6.67; Jadson Andre (BRA) 3.97
Heat 17: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 16.43; Heath Joske (AUS) 16.43; Jack Freestone (AUS) 11.67; Masatoshi Ohno (JPN) 6.76
Heat 18: Joan Duru (FRA) 13.23;Richard Christie (NZL) 12.96;Dusty Payne (HAW) 12.67; Tomas Hermes (BRA) 9.03
Heat 19: William Cardosa (BRA) 12.76; Jano Belo (BRA) 10.34; Richard Santos (BRA) 6.50; Travis Logie (ZAF)6.30
Heat 20: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 13.77; David Van Zyl (ZAF) 10.43; Steven Sawyer (Z AF) 8.10; Nathaniel Curran (USA) 3.47
Heat 21: Tiago Pires (PRT) 14.94; Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 10.07; Klee Strachan (ZAF) 10.00; Dylan Graves (PRI) 4.13
Heat 22: John John Florence (HAW) 14.77; Felix Messias (BRA) 10.13; Alejo Muniz (BRA) 9.84; Pedro Henrique (BRA) 6.90
Heat 23: Davey Cathels (AUS) 16.16; Kai Otton (AUS) 15.50; Yadin Nicol (AUS) 4.70; Jean De Silva (BRA) 2.26
Heat 24: Adrian Toyon (REU) 13.26; Damien Hobgood (USA) 11.66; Shaun Cansdell (AUS) 9.40; Nat Young (USA) 8.77

Mr Price Pro - the Wildcards are ready for the World

Greg "Foot" Emslie will give the foreigners a tough time in his heats. (Photo: ASP)

BALLITO, Kwa-Zulu Natal / South Africa (Tuesday, June 7, 2011) – Six talented South African surfers have been granted wildcard entries into the prestigious R1.7 Million ASP PRIME Mr Price Pro Ballito from July 4-10, 2011.
Greg Emslie (East London), Davey Brand (Cape Town) and Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay) will make their way into the event courtesy of Mr Price wildcards while Klee Strachan (Winklespruit), Brendon Gibbens (Cape Town) and David Weare (Durban) will take on the worlds’ best courtesy of ASP Africa wildcards.
Slotted directly into the round of 96, these six surfers will take on the event’s top seeds right from their first heat where they will be guaranteed a minimum of R5000 (US$ 750) should they bow out early and an enormous R270 000 (US$40,000) should they win the entire event!
The Mr Price Pro Ballito’s exclusive 96-man field means only the top ranked surfers on the ASP World Rankings qualify for a place in the main event, making a wildcard entry invaluable for non ASP World ranked surfers.
ASP World Tour retiree Greg Emslie, who flew the South African flag for a record nine years at the elite level, knows just how exceptional an opportunity like this one is. The powerful natural-footer (left-foot forward stance) will have the hopes of South Africa on his shoulders as the most experienced of this year’s wildcard deck.
“I can’t wait,” Emslie said. “To have the chance to compete against the top surfers in the world is always special. I feel I am surfing better and more progressive than ever now that I am retired and I look forward to taking on the internationals in a few weeks time.”
Another skilled international campaigner is David Weare. Weare competed at elite level for two years in 2006 and 2009 and although now retired from international competition, Weare remains a fierce competitor capable of causing any number of upsets at this year’s event.
“I'm super excited to have made it into this event,” Weare said. “It'll be good to see all the crew again and get to surf against them again. I'm still a competitor at heart so I'll definitely be giving it my all at this event!”
Young, up-and-coming talent Davey Brand, 18, will attract plenty of attention when he hits the water for his first heat. Captaining the South African team to the ISA Quiksilver World Games to Peru recently where he placed third in the U18 division, Brand welcomes the opportunity to put his skills to the test against some of the ASP World Title Tour surfers.
“I am so gratefully for this opportunity,” Brand said.” I’m taking it on with a nothing to loose everything to gain attitude and will give it everything I’ve got to make it as far as I can in the competition.”
A total of seven South African surfers have also qualified for the main event via their ASP World ranking. They include World No. 2 Jordy Smith (RSA), former ASP World Tour campaigner Travis Logie (Dbn), Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay), former ASP World Tour campaigner Royden Bryson (Cape Town), Brandon Jackson (Durban North), Rudy Palmboom (Bluff) and Dale Staples (St Francis Bay).
Eight South African surfers will compete in the trials for the remaining two spots into the main event. The trialists are Beyrick De Vries (Umhlanga), Chad Du Toit (Dbn), Kyle Lane (Umhlanga), Frankie Obherhozer (Scottburgh), Mathew Bromley (Cape Town), Alan Johns (Ballito), Sean Holmes (CT) and Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay).
The eight trialists will compete in two, four man heats with the top two from each heat advancing into a four-man final. First and second place finalists will advance into the main event.
The Mr Price Pro Ballito includes an action packed beach festival including beach entertainment; extreme sports, dedicated children’s programmes and a lifestyle and retail area provide plenty of daytime fun. The ever-popular Mr Price Pro Music concerts will take place on the evening of 8 and 9 July at Salt Rock at no cost to festivalgoers.
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Casey Grant is one noticeable surfer missing from the line up. (Photo: ZigZag)

 I have to be honest, I am very surprised not to see Casey Grant in the Wild Card comp. He came second last year to Jordy Smith and was certainly one of the stand out surfers during the event. There has been no media or comment about this, but surely one of the ASP Africa wild cards should have gone to him? Not to say any of the chosen surfers are not deserving, but last years runner up, come on! I would love to hear your thoughts on this...