Posts Tagged "Greg Emslie"

Three Saffas Advance at Quiksilver Pro Durban

Posted by surfer on Apr 23, 2009 in Surfing Events | 0 comments

Only three local surfers have advanced to participate in the next round at the 2009 Quiksilver Pro at Durban’s New Pier.

Travis Logie, one of the favourites in the competition, advanced to the next round by winning his heat yesterday morning.

The only other South African surfer to win his heat was Cape Town’s Royden Bryson.

“There were actually some fun waves out there, and I really enjoyed surfing in my heat,” said Logie after leaving the water. “It was quite inconsistent out there and I was in two minds if I should sit and wait for the good ones or just get some scores under my belt. In the end, I decided to just take off on anything half decent and went for the big turn option, and it seemed to pay off.”

The last South African to qualify to the next round yesterday was Durban’s Chad du Toit.  He placed second behind Logie to move in to the next round.

By far the biggest unpleasant surprise of the day was the elimination of reigning champion David Weare of Durban, who lost out to Tahiti’s Alain Riou and Hawaiians Jesse Merle-Jones and Mason Ho.

“I’m really bummed to be out of the event,” a clearly disappointed Weare said. “I really wanted to defend my title and I blew two waves that could have put me one step closer to it. I think I just too the wrong option going for that aerial on the second wave and it cost me. I blew a wave and lost a heat.”

Weare’s bitter disappointment is understandable. This event, which pits 136 of the world’s best surfers against each other, carries the highest possible ASP WQS rating as well as a very generous US$145 000 in prize money, with the winner pocketing US$20 000 as well as wracking up 3 500 ASP WQS ratings points.

Day 3 of the event is underway with the following South Africans surfing their heats today: Greg Emslie, Rudy Palmboom, Brandon Jackson, Manfred Adrio, Haydn Mac Nicol, David Richards, Paul Canning, Ricky Basnett, Daniel Redman, Kyle Lane, Keegan Nel, Shane Thorne, Antonio Bortoletto, Kyle Beach, Beyrick de Vries and Casey Grant.

Good luck, guys!

Smith Sails Into Third Round

Posted by surfer on Apr 15, 2009 in Surfing Events | 0 comments

South African surfer Jordy Smith continued his run in the Rip Curls Bells Beach Pro presented by Snickers in Victoria, Australia, yesterday when he defeated Damien Hobgood of the USA in waves described as “inconsistent but near perfect two metre[s]” to advance to the third round of this second stop on the 2009 ASP World Tour.

Despite seven lay days since his dominant performance in Round 1 and despite a minor back complaint, the 21-year old Durbanite managed to record scores of 7.50 and 5.50 to beat Hobgood.

“I think there were only three sets all heat and luckily I got two of them,” Smith said after only riding a total of three waves in the 30 minute heat. “I feel lucky to get through to the next round. When I woke up this morning it looked really good and I’m sure throughout the day the waves are just going to get better.”

In the third round, Smith will be pitted against giant-killer and wildcard, 19-year old Australian Owen Wright. Wright caused a huge upset when he beat nine-time ASP World Champion and defending Rip Curl Pro Champion, Kelly Slater. Wright handed the American surfing legend his second successive 17th place finish and increased the pressure on Slater’s bid for an unprecedented 10th world title.

Smith’s fellow Durbanite, David Weare – who is the only other South African still in the event after Greg Emslie from East London was eliminated in Round 1 – has yet to complete his Round 2 heat against Hawaiian Frederick Patacchia.

The Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach presented by Ford New Fiesta was completed on Sunday with Silvana Lima from Brazil claiming her maiden ASP Women’s World Tour crown by beating reigning two-times ASP Women’s World Champion, Australian Stephanie Gilmore, in the final.

South Africa’s Rosanne Hodge placed ninth in the event after she was ousted by Sofia Mulanovich from Peru in Round 3.

Well done, guys and gal!

Despite injury, Jordy Smith Qualifies for 2009

Posted by surfer on Dec 12, 2008 in Surfing Events | 0 comments

Despite a ligament injury to his left knee that prevented him from competing in the season-ending Billabong Pipeline Masters in Hawaii, South Africa’s Jordy Smith still managed to qualify for a second year on the elite ASP World Tour!

While current ASP No. 4 Joel Parkinson recorded only the second perfect 20 out of 20 heat score in ASP World Tour history on Day 2 of the event, the last of the 12 competitors who could have overtaken Smith was eliminated, leaving the 20 year-old rookie Durbanite amongst the top 27 on the rankings who automatically re-qualify for the following year.

His chances of a second year on the dream tour looked bleak when his doctor advised him to withdraw from the Pipeline event.

Global Surf News reports that, although Jordy’s final ranking position will not be known until the event is completed, he is now guaranteed to finish in the top 27, particularly if Hawaiian Bruce Irons, who has qualified ahead of Jordy for 2009, follows through with his decision to retire from the ASP World Tour after the Pipeline event.

Jordy will be joined on the 2009 ASP World Tour by David Weare (Durban) and Greg Emslie (East London) who finished Nos. 7 and 10 respectively in the 2008 ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) rankings. Travis Logie (Durban), Royden Bryson (East London) and Ricky Basnett (Bluff) finished the year outside the top 27 on the World Tour and failed to re-qualify.

In the mean time, another South African, Rosanne Hodge, demonstrated her affinity with the classic waves of Honolua Bay on the Hawaiian island of Maui when she reached the quarterfinals of the Billabong Pro Maui event on Wednesday, the first time this year that the East Londoner has advanced past Round 3 in an ASP Women’s World Tour event.

The 21-year old recorded her career best result in the 2007 event at Honolua Bay, advancing to the semifinals before being ousted in equal third place by eventual event winner Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)

Although she has already qualified for her third year on the ASP Women’s World Tour via her No. 3 ranking on the 2008 ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS), Rosanne will be determined to better her previous best and improve her current World Tour ranking of No. 15.

Reef Hawaiian Pro Crucial for South African Surfers

Posted by surfer on Nov 13, 2008 in Surfing Events | 3 comments

Some of South Africa’s top professional surfers are in Hawaii to compete in the career-deciding Reef Hawaiian Pro, the first of the Hawaiian Triple Crown series of events which kicked off in Haleiwa on the north shore of the island of Oahu yesterday.

This event forms part of the series which will determine the 2008 men’s and women’s ASP World Champions as well as the qualifiers for the 2009 ASP World Tours.

South Africans David Weare (Durban) and East Londoners Greg Emslie and Rosanne Hodge, along with the rest of the SA contingent in the event, are facing notoriously powerful surf, predicted to reach five metres on the Hawaiian scale (seven metre faces).

According to this report, the SA trio are at a career crossroads, as they are on the cusp of qualifying for the prestigious and lucrative top tiers of world surfing next year.

And although they may well have done enough on the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) during the year, there are enough points at stake in the remaining events to see them overtaken in the ratings and relegated to competing on the ‘Grind’, as the WQS is referred to, in 2009.

They’ve already had close calls on the circuit. Emslie, an eight year veteran on the ASP World Tour before narrowly missing out at the end of last year, and Weare, who spent an injury riddled 2007 at surfing’s top table, currently occupy the number eight and nine positions in the ratings, well within the top 15 cutoff for qualification.

However, with the bulk of the world’s top 45 ranked surfers and a host of notoriously competitive Hawaiian locals in the mix for the Reef Hawaiian Pro (12-23 November) and the O’Neill World Cup at Sunset Beach (24 Nov-6 Dec), and a massive 3 000 points on the line in the two 6-Star Prime rated events, the South Africans will be determined to improve their points tallies to protect their positions.

Good luck, guys and gals! We’ll be rooting for you!