French guy wins Relentless Boardmasters, but Lord Bryson shines!

Photo: ASP

The Waves in the UK are shit. I don't care what anybody says, or send me pictures and video, I have been watching this QS for years and its never had good waves. Having said that, the guys who do well absolutely have to rip! My pick of the contest was for the second week in a row, our very own, Lord Royden Bryson. The little guy was tearing Newquay apart and improved on reaching the Quarters at the US Open to making the Semis here. The wave he needed just did not come to him in his Semi and it was desperately close. Watch this space as the tour heads off to France, Lord Bryson is not done with the Tour yet!

Lord Bryson was kicking ass! (Photo: ASP)

All the final day news:
FISTRAL BEACH, Newquay/England (Sunday, August 14, 2011) – Romain Cloitre (Les Roches Noires, REU) 22, today won the ASP 6-Star Relentless Boardmasters in assoc. with Vans defeating Mitch Coleborn (AUS) 24, in a lead swapping final 14.77 to 9.36, to claim his maiden ASP Star tour victory in windblown 3-4ft peaks in front of a huge crowd lining the Fistral beach shoreline.
Cloitre searched the longer rights with rapid fire forehand snaps to build his scores and gain a slight advantage through the first half of the encounter to eventually seal his victory with a combination of two powerful backhand smashes securing an 8.17 out of 10 and an unassailable lead.
“I am really happy right now. This is my best victory in my career and I haven’t had any good results in the last few months so I didn’t have a lot of confidence but now I have some and I am really happy. The start of the Europe leg I was travelling with Tom Whitaker a lot and Oakley and he helped me to get my confidence back. He was always saying that I was going to do well in Europe and it has helped me, so thanks Tommy for that.”

Relentless Boardmasters 2011

Cloitre, former ASP European Pro Junior champion, who had quietly moved through the draw was the form surfer on the final day and met the challenge thrown down by Coleborn in the final with carefully planned heat tactics and priority control against the powerhouse Australian.
“I saw that Mitch had a good left and competing against him is tough because he can get a 9-point ride with one turn so it is never over when you are against him. It was a hard final and I am stoked to have come through with the win.”
Coleborn, making his best podium finish of the season, almost pulled off a massive air-reverse with incredible rotation in the opening minute of the final. Had he made it the story may have been completely different from the start. That one missed opportunity eventually proving costly during the entire heat.
“I just cruised into that first wave,” explained Coleborn. “I didn’t expect such a big section off the bat. First wave of the heat I would have liked to have found my feet before I got that section. I fell off and it almost played on my mind a bit out there. I didn’t really consolidate on that opportunity so I was a little bit rattled. I then just tried to wait it out and the waves just never came to me.”
Coleborn, who was sitting outside the top ranked 100 in the world, will now rocket up the ASP World rankings to place himself in a better position for qualification into the crucial ASP 6-Star and PRIME events coming up over the following weeks in Europe.
“I’m stoked overall because it is the best result I have ever had. It is the start of the European leg as well and it has given me a bunch of confidence going into the next couple of 6-stars and I am just stoked to climb up the rankings a little bit.”

Relentless Boardmasters 2011

Mitch Crews (Currumbin, Gold Coast) 21, finished equal 3rd after a magnificent run through the entire event to eventually fail against Coleborn in a high scoring semi-final clash. The young Australian has achieved his first major result in an ASP Star tour event with his impressive high speed progressive surfing.
“I’m stoked with this result. I haven’t done many Star events this year so I’m happy to make it to the semis. I was determined to win because I had a flawless run to the semis with no seconds, just firsts in every heat. I am bummed to come so far and then get pipped at the end and I am a bit disappointed with myself. I felt that it was the heat that counted the most and I had my worst performance but I am still super stoked.”
Crews had the opportunity to take control of the heat early on however failed to consolidate his first scoring ride which eventually proved crucial in the final outcome of the semi.
“My very first wave might have been a good one,” continued Crews. “I did one good turn and then I got stuck on the bottom so I think if I had of got that first wave under my belt I might have had more confidence but every time I fall on my first wave I get a little nervous. I can’t take anything away from Mitch (Coleborn) and good luck to him.”
Surfers competing in the Relentless Boardmasters in assoc. with Vans capitalized on the valuable ranking points in their bid to climb the ASP World rankings and enter the elite Top 32 before the mid-year points cut off. European athletes built on their ASP European Men’s ranking as the main summer leg of events commences.
Celebrating its 30th anniversary, The Relentless Boardmasters in assoc. with Vans was scheduled from August 9-14, 2011. For more information, and all results, photos, video highlights, press releases log-on to www.aspeurope.com
Relentless Boardmasters in assoc. with Vans Final
1 – Romain Cloitre (REU) 14.77
2 – Mitch Coleborn (AUS) 9.36
Relentless Boardmasters in assoc. with Vans Semifinal Results
SF 1: Mitch Coleborn (AUS) 15.34 Def. Mitch Crews (AUS) 13.57
SF 2: Romain Cloitre (REU) 16.16 Def. Royden Bryson (ZAF) 10.00
Relentless Boardmasters in assoc. with Vans Quarterfinal Results
QF 1: Mitch Crews (AUS) 14.53 Def. Flavio Nakagima (BRA) 11.33
QF 2: Mitch Coleborn (AUS) 13.93 Def. Jesse Mendes (BRA) 13.17
QF 3: Romain Cloitre (REU) 15.36 Def. Glen Hall (IRL) 12.00
QF 4: Royden Bryson (ZAF) 14.40 Def. Garret Parkes (AUS) 9.83
ASP European Men’s Rankings Top 5
1. Alain Riou (PYF) 3775
2. Tim Boal (FRA) 3321
3. Joan Duru (FRA) 3048
4. Romain Cloitre (REU) 2991
5. Vincent Duvignac (FRA) 2928

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.
For more information log on to www.mrpricepro.com or like us on facebook http://www.facebook.com/mrpricepro.

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...

Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro - Day 1 & 2

Jadson Andre loving the Lowers lefts (Photo: ASP)

The second day of the ASP PRIME Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro saw ASP World Tour surfer Jadson Andre (BRA), 21, young local talent Tanner Gudauskas (San Clemente, CA), 22, and up-and-comer Gabriel Medina (BRA), 17, push performance barriers in Round 2 by reveling in the clean one-to-three foot waves at Lower Trestles at San Onofre State Beach to post the highest scores of the event.
The Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro represents the third ASP PRIME event of the year and has attracted several of the world’s best surfers in search of the heightened points on offer towards their ASP World Ranking.
Andre locked into a clean lefthander to unload the highest single wave score of the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro, a nearly-flawless 9.87 out of 10 with an impressive combination of powerful carves before pulling out his signature, frontside air-reverse to add to his 8.60 for the highest heat total of the event (18.47 out of 20).
“I knew it was going to be a tough heat because Caio (Ibelli) is one of the best juniors in the world and Miguel (Pupo) has been surfing so well lately and Austin (Ware) has been on the tour for a long time and I knew I had to go big,” Andre said. “I just did three big carves and a big air.”
Andre, current No. 12 on the elite ASP World Title Race, has been focusing on improving his surfing in all conditions and feels that the training is paying off.
“I’ve been trying to mix it up and I feel good because I see that it’s working,” Andre said. “I’m trying to do other maneuvers, not just one big air. I have been traveling and want to show that I’ve improved. I’m just stoked that I made my heat, that’s my goal.”

Gudauskas slowly built momentum throughout his heat, notching an excellent score of 8.00 for a ferocious layback before unleashing a near-perfect 9.63 out of 10 by blasting a flurry of powerful backside turns on a long righthand wall.
“I really was just out to pasture when that wave came in and everyone slid right because I think they were looking to go left and I just got this chip from out the back,” Gudauskas said. “I felt like I got lucky with the waves I got. I didn’t have rhythm in the beginning and I got a wave, it was just like my last heat.”
Gudauskas’ 17.70 heat total, one of the highest of competition, saw the goofy-footer earn top honors in an intense, high-scoring heat over fellow San Clemente native Kolohe Andino (San Clemente, CA), 17, who advanced in second, ASP World No. 11 Adriano de Souza (BRA), 24, and Pablo Paulino (BRA), 24.
“That heat was so gnarly, I was thinking that if one more set came in I could easily go to third,” Gudauskas said. “Those are fun heats, but at the same time, when you lose those it’s a tough one so I feel for Adriano (de Souza) and Pablo (Paulino).”
Gabriel Medina continued his strong form in Round 2 by putting on a progressive clinic with tail-drifting turns and airs on two steep Lowers lefthanders to earn two of the event’s highest scores of a 9.17 single wave score while dropping a 17.60 heat total to take a victory over ASP Dream Tour campaigners C.J. Hobgood (Melbourne, FL), 31, and Dan Ross (AUS), 28.
“I’m so stoked to get through and it was kind of hard to surf because the water is so cold,” Medina said. “I got two good waves and I’m so stoked to be here at Lowers. I’ve been here twice and I just love it, it’s a really cool wave.”


Thiago Camarao (BRA), 22, who was testing a new board in his heat, was another high-flying Brazilian who turned heads today by notching a 15.67 out of 20 heat total to take his win over ASP Dream Tour surfer Adam Melling (AUS), 26, who advanced in second.
“I just got a new board yesterday because the waves are so different than where I live,” Camarao said. “It feels so good, but I need to practice more on it on my backhand. I’m sure I’ll get to practice more on my backhand in the next heat, but I’m really happy to have won that heat and to make it through to the next round.”
Lincoln Taylor (AUS), 22, was responsible for the day’s biggest upset by issuing defending event champion Gabe Kling (St. Augustine, FL), 30, and Raioni Monteiro (BRA), 28, early eliminations from the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro by finding the best righthander in a wave-starved heat to advance into the Round of 48.
“It was a solid heat with Gabe (Kling) having won last year and Raoni (Monteiro) has been ripping this year,” Taylor said. “It was one of those heats that was tough for everybody and its just luck at the moment. If you luck into the good one, you’re going to get through and I was lucky.”
Running in conjunction with the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro will be the ASP 5-Star Oakley Pro Junior, which will see the 32-man field battle for the vital points on offer towards qualification for the elite ASP World Junior Tour.
The Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro holds a waiting period from May 3 through 7, 2011 and is webcast LIVE via http://www.nike6lowerspro.com/
For complimentary high-res images contact bobby@aspworldtour.com
For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org

Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro Round of 48 Results:
Heat 1: Joel Centeio (HAW) 14.67, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 14.67, Michel Bourez (PYF) 11.80, Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 10.56
Heat 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 17.60, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 13.50, Daniel Ross (USA) 9.20, John Florence (HAW) 4.19
Heat 3: Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 17.70, Kolohe Andino (USA) 14.53, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.10, Pablo Paulino (BRA) 13.50
Heat 4: Dusty Payne (HAW) 12.33, Bobby Martinez (USA) 13.77, Kai Barger (HAW) 12.33, Granger Larsen (HAW) 10.03
Heat 5: Heitor Alves (BRA) 13.84, Jesse Mendes (BRA) 10.17, Masatoshi Ohno (JPN) 9.53, Pedro Henrique (BRA) 9.03
Heat 6: Taylor Knox (USA) 13.87, Mason Ho (HAW) 12.60, Hizunome Bettero (BRA) 11.83, Tom Whitaker (AUS) 10.10
Heat 7: Willian Cardoso (BRA) 15.77, Junior Faria (BRA) 11.43, Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 11.17, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 9.20
Heat 8: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 14.67, Cory Lopez (USA) 14.07, Nic Muscroft (AUS) 9.47, Dane Reynolds (USA) 2.70
Heat 9: Jadson Andre (BRA) 18.47, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 16.80, Caio Ibelli (BRA) 14.10, Austin Ware (USA) 11.90
Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro Round of 96 Results:
Heat 17: Caio Ibelli (BRA) 10.67, Damien Hobgood (USA) 8.96, Gelnn Hall (IRL) 8.90, Messias Felix (BRA) 7.50
Heat 18: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 14.67, Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.27, Brent Dorrington (AUS) 13.10, Neco Padaratz (BRA) 7.83
Heat 19: Lincoln Taylor (AUS) 9.19, Austin Ware (USA) 9.10, Gabe Kling (USA) 5.60, Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 2.63
Heat 20: Kai Otton (AUS) 13.57, Jadson Andre (BRA) 12.70, Roy Powers (HAW) 8.27, Charles Martin (GLP) 6.20
Heat 21: Tonino Benson (HAW) 15.67, Nathaniel Curran (USA) 13.67, Tiago Pires (PRT) 9.87, Yuri Sodre (BRA) 8.57
Heat 22: Thiago Camarao (BRA) 15.67, Adam Melling (AUS) 13.73, Stu Kennedy (AUS) 12.13, Ben Dunn (AUS) 10.35
Heat 23: Tim Reyes (USA) 13.33, Heath Joske (AUS) 9.63, Leandro Bastros (BRA) 7.83, Yadin Nicol (AUS) 4.33
Heat 24: Nathan Yeomans (USA) 13.10, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 13.00, Jack Freestone (AUS) 12.50, Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY) 10.67

Damo Hobgood wins the Margaret River Pro

Damo has always been one of my favorite surfers. His clean style and brass balls in the heavy stuff make him a formidable surfer. He has not really had the results lately, so I was stoked when he took out his first win in quite some time at Margaret River, West Oz.

Damo cracking the turns on his way to victory. (Photo: ASP)

MARGARET RIVER, Western Australia (Saturday, April 9, 2011) - Floridian surfer and former ASP World Number 4, Damien Hobgood (Fl, USA) has claimed his sixth major ASP event victory by taking out the Prime-rated Telstra Drug Aware Pro ahead of local, Yadin Nicol (WA, AUS), at Margaret River in West Australia today.
“I’ve been coming to Margaret River since I was 13-years-old. It’s right up there with home and the North Shore for my favourite places” said Hobgood on the podium.
“Thank you to the West Australian government, it’s so awesome that you get behind surfing like this, Back home surfing is so small.
“It wasn’t really much of a final – I’m sure Yadin is bummed, it would have been great to battle it out- I saw that it was getting smaller and just wanted to go out and get some scores under my belt – I stuck to my game plan and it worked.”
Hobgood earned US$40,000 and 6,500 valuable ratings points for his win and moved him to 10th position on the ASP World Rankings.
Following a hectic week that saw the swell size peak at five-metres, the greatest challenge for competitors on the final day was to find any rides at all. And in the 30-minute decider, Hobgood got the jump on the local crowd favourite by clinching two early scoring waves.
Nicol, surfing his maiden final, was forced to play catch-up but with Mother Nature calling the shots, was never in the hunt.
“What can you do? If the waves don’t come to you, you can’t be too bummed. – Damo got busy at the start and then it pretty much over from there.
“I was looking at the waves he was going for thinking, are they even waves? So I waited and nothing bigger came.”
Hobgood ran away with the win, finishing on a two-wave combined total of 12.83 points to Nicol’s low 6.94 points.
Nicol’s runner-up finish is a career-best result for the 26 year-old, and he has rocketed up 30 places on the ASP world ratings ladder, and now sits just outside the all-important mid year top-32 cut-off.
Finishing in equal third today was Willian Cardoso (BRA) of Brazil and Granger Larsen (HAW) of Hawaii.
Cardoso’s final hopes were dashed in the early moments of his semi when he suffered an interference penalty versus Nicol. With one of his two scoring waves halved, Cardoso was never a threat to the Australian and was forced to settle for equal 3rd place.
Surfing legend and ten-times ASP World Champion, Kelly Slater (Fl, USA) made his first competitive appearance at Margaret River in 18 years, but was bundled out yesterday in equal 13th place by New Zealand rookie Billy Stairmand (Raglan, NZ)
The next event on the second tier ASP Men’s Prime event calendar is the Nike Lowers Pro, to be held at Trestles in California beginning May 3rd.
While the sport’s biggest names will compete at event #2 on the ASP World Title Tour, The Rip Curl Pro, which begins at Bells Beach, Victoria in just over a weeks time (April 19-30).
Spectator entry to the Telstra Drug Aware Pro is free. For more information, visit www.telstradrugawarepro.com