Billabong Pro Not Off To A Start
Renowned for its iconic waves, Jeffreys Bay is undisputedly considered to be the Mecca of South African surfing.
So it’s a bit ironic that small surf was the cause for a lay day being called at the Billabong Pro surfing championship. The event, the fifth of ten on the 2009 ASP World Tour, has been delayed until tomorrow morning – when conditions will be reassessed – due to this morning’s small two-to-three (one metre) waves.
According to Mike Parsons, Billabong Pro Contest Director, the swell models they’ve been tracking have moved a bit south, with improving swell models giving them an optimistic outlook that they’ll have bigger waves as early as tomorrow.
Yesterday, at the completion of the VonZipper Trials, local Devyn Matthews won his heat, earning himself a wildcard berth into the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay. Other South Africans who also received wildcards are Shaun Holmes and Ryan Payne.
Once the conditions improve, the first round match-ups look as follows:
Heat 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Tim Boal (FRA), Michael Picon (FRA)
Heat 2: Tom Whitaker (AUS), Jay Thompson (AUS), Nathaniel Curran (USA)
Heat 3: Bobby Martinez (USA), Josh Kerr (AUS), Nic Muscroft (AUS)
Heat 4: Mick Fanning (AUS), Kai Otton (AUS), Phillip MacDonald (AUS)
Heat 5: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Dean Morrison (AUS), Marlon Lipke (DEU)
Heat 6: C.J. Hobgood (USA), Chris Ward (USA), TBA
Heat 7: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Dustin Barca (HAW), TBA
Heat 8: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), TBA
Heat 9: Taj Burrow (AUS), Tim Reyes (USA), TBA
Heat 10: Kelly Slater (USA), Dayyan Neve (AUS), TBA
Heat 11: Damien Hobgood (USA), Heitor Alves (BRA), Greg Emslie (ZAF)
Heat 12: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Chris Davidson (AUS), David Weare (ZAF)
Heat 13: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Aritz Aranburu (EUK), Michel Bourez (PYF)
Heat 14: Taylor Knox (USA), Jihad Khodr (BRA), Roy Powers (HAW)
Heat 15: Mick Campbell (AUS), Tiago Pires (PRT), Ben Dunn (AUS)
Heat 16: Kieren Perrow (AUS), Dane Reynolds (USA), Drew Courtney (AUS)
