Billabong Pro J-Bay Update

Posted on July 21st, 2011 by JZ

Ace Buchan throwing tail in his Round 2 matchup. Photo: ASP/Kirstin

Eight days of the eleven day waiting period have gone by and two rounds of competition have gone down at the 2011 Billabong Pro J-Bay. With more swell on the way, round 3 will likely kick off early tomorrow morning at Jeffrey’s Bay. It’s been hard to watch the webcast live here in the U.S. because of the time difference between here and South Africa, so if you’re like me and missed most of the live action we’ve got video highlights, photos, and a quick recap of the first two rounds below.

Round 1 saw some high-flying action from all of the competitors. South African, Jordy Smith was one of the standouts as he posted the highest wave score with a 9.00 and the highest heat total of the day with a 16.87. With his runner-up finish last year behind Slater, Jordy Smith currently sits in the 5th spot in the world rankings. Giving that J-Bay is pretty much Jordy’s backyard, he’s feeling pretty good so far. “I don’t really feel the pressure to perform,” Smith said. “I’ve got my little program here with my friends and I’m just focusing on getting waves and surfing well. I’m happy to be through to Round 3.”

Also taking control in the first round was 2 time world champion Mick Fanning. Although he only had one other competitor in a usual 3 man first round heat, he still managed to post a 15.73 and get bumped right to round 3. Missing from Mick’s heat wasn’t Kelly Slater or Dane Reynolds, it was Bobby Martinez who also failed to show up for this event.

Round 2 is do or die for all the guys who didn’t win their first round heats and a lot of guys were fighting hard to stay in it. The second round was split up over 2 days due to the inconsistency and lacking of solid waves but they finished up yesterday morning and all the round 3 heats are set. Some notable heats were Freddy Patacchia losing to 2nd year rookie Owen Wright, Taylor Knox going out without much of a fight against Damien Hobgood and wildcard (due to no-show Dane Reynolds) Corey Lopez taking a loss to Adrian Buchan.

Video highlights, round 1 & 2 results, round 3 matchups, and photos are all below.

The next call for the event will be at 7am local time in South Africa which is 1am EDT. You can watch the live webcast at billabongpro.com.

ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Tiago Pires (PRT) 11.04, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 6.66, Cory Lopez (USA) 6.60
Heat 2: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.10, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 12.17, Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 9.67
Heat 3: Jadson Andre (BRA) 12.90, Taj Burrow (AUS) 10.00, Gabe Kling (USA) 8.13
Heat 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.73, Heitor Alves (BRA) 12.17, Bobby Martinez (USA) 0.00
Heat 5: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 16.87, Sean Holmes (ZAF) 14.93, Adam Melling (AUS) 14.57
Heat 6: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 12.77, Shaun Payne (ZAF) 7.46, Kelly Slater (USA) 0.00
Heat 7: Kai Otton (AUS) 13.50, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 8.50, Chris Davidson (AUS) 4.73
Heat 8: Josh Kerr (AUS) 12.70, Owen Wright (AUS) 8.43, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 7.56
Heat 9: Daniel Ross (AUS) 11.70, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 7.80, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 7.73
Heat 10: Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.10, Taylor Knox (USA) 10.46, Damien Hobgood (USA) 9.70
Heat 11: Dusty Payne (HAW) 16.03, Michel Bourez (PYF) 9.10, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 8.77
Heat 12: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 12.66, Brett Simpson (USA) 8.87, Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 7.60

Round 1 Highlights

ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Travis Logie (ZAF) 12.33 def. Shaun Payne (ZAF) 7.30
Heat 2: Taj Burrow (AUS) 14.33 def. Sean Holmes (ZAF) 6.04
Heat 3: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 15.10 def. Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 11.06
Heat 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.03 def. Gabe Kling (USA) 12.50
Heat 5: Owen Wright (AUS) 11.86 def. Fred Patacchia (HAW) 10.77
Heat 6: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 15.80 def. Cory Lopez (USA) 6.50
Heat 7: Damien Hobgood (USA) 15.00 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 6.00
Heat 8: Michel Bourez (PYF) 17.07 def. Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 14.03
Heat 9: Adam Melling (AUS) 14.00 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 11.80
Heat 10: Heitor Alves (BRA) 14.90 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 13.84
Heat 11: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 12.23 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 9.43
Heat 12: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 11.20 def. Chris Davidson (AUS) 6.70

Round 2 Highlights

ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Daniel Ross (AUS)
Heat 2: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Jadson Andre (BRA)
Heat 3: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 4: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Heitor Alves (BRA)
Heat 5: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
Heat 6: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 7: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Kai Otton (AUS)
Heat 8: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 9: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 10: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
Heat 11: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Tiago Pires (PRT)
Heat 12: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Josh Kerr (AUS)

Click an image to see it fullsize Expand all images