Round Two wraps up at the Hurley Pro, but there's more to it than that.
September 14, 2009, 9:25 PM
By: Jake Howard
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Taylor Knox, putting hometown knowledge to good use.
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Perennial fan favorite Rob Machado, keeping it real with the kids
The mood on the beach mid-morning was that of a college frat house on any given Sunday. It's not that everybody was particularly hung-over, it's just that starting the day the action was a little slow, the sets a little inconsistent, and the sky a little gray.
This leads me precisely to the point, Round 2, the elimination round. After jumping back and forth between formats all year long, for this event the ASP and organizers of the Hurley Pro have opted to run with the elimination round.
It's an interesting decision and forces an even more interesting hand. Already the Hurley Pro has the shortest waiting period on tour. Because of California State Park rules, the contest has to run within a seven-day period (and out of those seven days, they can't run two consecutive days on a weekend—which is why it starts on a Sunday and ends on a Saturday). So, with only seven days to work with and more heats to surf, it looks like yesterday, today, and tomorrow are going to be full on with between 16 to 18 heats a day.
Is this good or bad? I don't know, depends on your perspective. It's good if you're a fan. By having an elimination round in place at least we got to see Parko and Taj and Bobby and a slew of other guys surf more than once (even if Taj and Bobby are out now).
But then on the other side of the coin, less heats means you can be more picky and choosey on the days you run. It takes one whole day of competition away, so with a dying swell and not totally ideal conditions Contest Director Pat O'Connell wouldn't be 95-percent sure they're running a full day tomorrow because it wouldn't even be an issue. I guess the argument is that by not wasting time with an elimination round your working in concert with the "best surfers in the best waves" mantra of the Dream Tour.
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You've heard of the Kennedy compound, well, here's the Hurley compound.
But then what fun is that? These guys are on tour to perform, and that's what we the surf fan want to see. Right? Be it two feet or 20, they're still a thousand time better surfers than me and you, and watching somebody like Rob Machado destroy a crumbly reform can be just as enlightening as watching him drop in on bombs out the back.
Anyway, by the time lunch came around the VIP tent had gotten into the Budweisers and the hangover lifted. Unfortunately, the waves didn't get any better. In fact, Dustin Barca and Ben Dunn sat out the back for a good 20-plus minutes waiting for anything that resembled a wave. And in the Josh Kerr/Ace Buchan heat even if you combined all four of their wave scores you still would have less than a 16-point total.
Like I said above, chances are pretty good they're running again tomorrow, so hang tight and be happy, we all get to enjoy another round together. After that expect things to go quiet until a new swell hopefully shows up on Saturday.
HURLEY PRO TRESTLES ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 12.16 def. Kai Barger (HAW) 9.93
Heat 2: Rob Machado (USA) 15.16 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.00
Heat 3: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 15.84 def. Marlon Lipke (DEU) 11.33
Heat 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.40 def. Phillip MacDonald (AUS) 8.53
Heat 5: Luke Stedman (AUS) 12.70 def. Bobby Martinez (USA) 11.00
Heat 6: Nic Muscroft (AUS) 13.24 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 12.16
Heat 7: Taylor Knox (USA) 12.93 def. Drew Courtney (AUS) 12.83
Heat 8: Tiago Pires (PRT) 13.50 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF)13.24
Heat 9: Greg Emslie (ZAF) WIN, Mick Campbell (AUS) Injured
Heat 10: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 11.56 def. Jihad Khodr (AUS) 8.90
Heat 11: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 13.50 def. Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 11.60
Heat 12: Dean Morrison (AUS) 10.50 def. Nathaniel Curran (USA) 8.93
Heat 13: Roy Powers (HAW) 12.13 def. Tim Reyes (USA) 11.57
Heat 14: Jay Thompson (AUS) 16.26 def. Chris Ward (USA) 11.26
Heat 15: Josh Kerr (AUS) 17.17 def. Dayyan Neve (AUS) 15.23
Heat 16: Ben Dunn (AUS) 8.23 def Dustin Barca (HAW) 7.67
HURLEY PRO TRESTLES ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.33 def. David Weare (ZAF) 12.83
Heat 2: Kai Otton (AUS) 16.67 def. Jay Thompson (AUS) 13.50
Heat 3 Josh Kerr (AUS) 8.23 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 7.76
Heat 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 15.07 def. Nic Muscroft (AUS) 12.26
Heat 5: Taylor Knox (USA) 13.17 def. Greg Emslie (ZAF) 9.77
Heat 6: Roy Powers (HAW) 13.06 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 12.00
HURLEY PRO TRESTLES REMAINING ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 7: Dane Reynolds (USA0 vs. Ben Dunn (AUS)
Heat 8: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Rob Machado (USA)
Heat 9: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 10: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) vs. Chris Davidson (AUS)
Heat 11: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Tiago Pires (PRT)
Heat 12: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Heitor Alves (BRA)
Heat 13: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Luke Stedman (AUS)
Heat 14: Dean Morrison (AUS) vs. Michel Bourez (PYF)
Heat 15: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Michael Picon (FRA)
Heat 16: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. Tim Boal (FRA)
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Contributors
Jon Coen
Jon is from New Jersey and continues to reside there with his wife and dog—which means occasional empty barrels and the occasional session in the snow.The state isn't as dirty as people might think, but he'll let them keep believing that.
Jake Howard
Jake lives, writes, and surfs in San Clemente, California. He spent his formative gremlin years surfing points north of San Francisco, and for the last 10 years has been contently surviving behind the Orange Curtain.
Kimball Taylor
Author of Return by Water, as well as books on Jeffreys Bay and Pipeline, Kimball drives a red hot Camero, and back in the '70s, he used to party with your Dad.
Daniel Ikaika Ito
Daniel surfs like a hippie, but dresses like a homie. The Native Hawaiian originally hails from Hilo, but now resides in Honolulu. He enjoys twin-fins, new sneakers and being ESPN's "Cuz On The Scene" in the 50th State.
Jason Kenworthy
About as majestic as a turkey vulture, when he's not shlepping his lens around the world or looking for road kill, Jason can be found at home in Dana Point tending to his growing brood.
