Australia’s Lee Winkler rallied late to take out 2000 World Champion Sunny Garcia with a committed effort, while Hawaii’s second round best went to rookie Fred Patacchia Jnr, who surfed like a master banking two nine-plus rides to finish the skilful backhand efforts of Shane Beschen, who also now lives on the North Shore.
South Africa’s Greg Emslie had a shocker getting washed over the reef and into the lagoon on his first wave, and things didn’t get much better as Dean Morrison (AUS) marched on with maniacal commitment. The Springboks on the wild continent will be stoked though to hear that their Durban rookie Travis Logie set new standards in commitment and once and for all blew away any doubts about his worthiness in big waves. The kid went mad.
Logie drew Australia’s already established charger Phil Macdonald, but the young goofy footer from South Africa obviously wasn’t interested in reputations, other than disproving the doubters of his own testosterone. He went seriously crazy, including a 9.9 on his last wave.
“I’m very chuffed! I’ve never surfed Teahupoo over one foot before, and so that was first time out there in ‘real’ Teahupoo waves,” said Logie.
“I was really nervous before the heat, sitting and watching in the channel, so I’m stoked I got the jitters out and showed the world that I can surf waves like this. I’m stoked!”
“That 9.9 final ride was quite a deep-ish one,” said Logie in full understatement mode.
“I could see the wall building up all the way down the reef, so I just pumped my board as much as I could in the barrel. At one stage I didn’t think I was going to make it, and then I got a late burst of speed, and I came out. It was such a lovely wave”.
That’s it folks. Teahupoo makes and breaks, or shames and sometimes even lames. This is the place of pace, and it all continues tomorrow with round three with the starting time to be called at 6.30am. The beat goes on…the beat of racing hearts.
The Billabong Pro Tahiti delivered by Air Tahiti Nui is proudly supported by Von Zipper, Bose, Kustom and The Tahitian Surfing Federation.
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ROUND TWO RESULTS:
(1st>Rnd 3; 2nd=33rd, 225pts & usd$3600)
H 1: Trent Munro (Aus) 15.00 def Manoa Drollet (PYF) 11.00 H 2: Damien Hobgood (USA) 17.10 def Liam McNamara (Haw) 7.17 H 3: Hira Teriinatoofa (PYF) 16.74 def Luke Egan (Aus) 4.77 H 4: Daniel Wills (Aus) 14.33 def Renan Rocha (Bra) 13.77 H 5: Mark Occhilupo (Aus) 15.57 def Kirk Flintoff (Aus) 14.90 H 6: Tom Whitaker (Aus) 18.23 def Tim Reyes (USA) 16.63 H 7: Chris Ward (USA) 17.80 def Luke Stedman (Aus) 11.50 H 8: Shea Lopez (USA) 14.54 def Richie Lovett (AUS) 12.90 H 9: Cory Lopez (AUS) 19.63 def Toby Martin (AUS) 4.27 H 10: Lee Winkler (AUS) 16.86 def Sunny Garcia (HAW) 14.33 H 11: Tim Curran (USA) 15.17 def Troy Brooks (AUS) 7.00 H 12: Travis Logie (RSA) 19.07 def Phil Macdonald (AUS) 14.10 H 13: Dean Morrison (AUS) 18.83 def Greg Emslie (RSA) 8.77 H 14: Victor Ribas (BRZ) 15.10 def Jake Paterson (AUS) 10.93 H 15: Fred Patacchia Jnr (HAW) 18.37 def Shane Beschen (USA) 16.16 H 16: Neco Padaratz (BRZ) 18.83 def Bede Durbidge (AUS) 17.37
ROUND THREE DRAW FOR TOMORROW:
(1st>Rnd 4; 2nd=17th, 410 points, usd$4500
