10 July 2008 Occy Earns Wildcard

Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay
Stop No. 5 of 11 on the 2008 ASP World Tour
Supertubes, Jeffreys Bay
July 10–20, 2008


Mark Occhilupo earns wildcard to take on Kelly Slater in Round 1 of Billabong Pro at Jeffreys Bay


JEFFREYS BAY (Thursday, July 10, 2008) – The 2008 Billabong Pro got underway in icy conditions at first light in Jeffreys Bay this morning when contest director Mike Parsons had no hesitation in sending the Von Zipper Wildcard trials out as consistent one to 1.5 metre swells peeled down the fabled Supertubes point.


Using the trademark manoeuvres he has perfected since winning the inaugural Billabong Country Feeling Classic back in 1984, surfing icon Mark Occhilupo (AUS) earned the first of the three wildcards at stake to set up a highly anticipated match-up against 8X world champ and current ASP World No. 1 Kelly Slater (USA) later today.


The second VZ Wildcard went to top SA Pro Junior Rudy Palmboom Jr. from the Bluff who defeated a trio of compatriots before Granger Larsen (HAW), America’s top ranked Pro Junior, snagged the third wildcard ahead of internationals Tamaroa McComb (TAH) and Peterson Crisanto (BRA) and Durban’s Warwick Wright.


Palmboom and Larsen will take on defending Billabong Pro champion Taj Burrow (AUS) and reigning ASP World Champion and the No. 2 seed in J-Bay, Mick Fanning (AUS).


The action moved directly into Round 1 of the R2.4 million main event, the fifth of 11 stops on the 2008 ASP World Tour, where Roy Powers (HAW) secured victory over 10th seed Adrian ‘Ace’ Buchan (AUS) and Tiago Pires (POR) in the first heat.


Powers advanced directly to Round 3 while Buchan and Pires will be reseeded into the cutthroat Round 2 where the heat format changes to man-on-man with the winner progressing and the loser eliminated in 33rd place overall, earning US $4 700 (approx R36 000) and 225 ratings points.


Powers was joined in Round 3 by Jay Thompson (AUS) who defeated Ben Bourgeois (USA) by a slender seven hundredths of a point (10.57 vs. 10.50) with 9th seed Bobby Martinez (USA) in third place in heat two.


The Billabong Pro was officially opened by Jeffreys Bay Mayor Robbie Dennis who welcomed everyone to the bustling Eastern Cape coastal town before performances by the Kiss of Heaven dance troupe from Pellsrus and the Billabong Staff Choir and traditional blessings of the event and the waves by local sangomas Beauty (Jeffreys Bay) and Thobela (Port Elizabeth).


Competition is expected to continue throughout the first day of the event as Parsons makes full use of the excellent conditions on offer ahead of what is predicted Surfline, the official surf forecasters for the Billabong Pro, to be a sunny but wave-starved weekend.


The Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay runs from July 10-20, an 11 day waiting period during which contest director Mike Parson can select the best possible conditions for the 63 heats required to determine the champion.

The Billabong Pro will be webcast LIVE on www.billabongpro.com featuring multiple camera angles, replays, scoring, expert commentary in four languages and video on demand of all previous heats in the event.


Visit the Backstage section for the lowdown on behind the scenes activities and the Press Room for news, images, transcribed athlete interviews and more.

VonZipper Wildcard Trials


Heat 1
1. Mark Occhilupo (AUS)
2. Dale Staples (St Francis Bay)
3. Shaun Payne (St Francis Bay)

4. Chad du Toit (Berea, Durban)

Heat 2
1. Rudy Palmboom Jr. (Bluff)

2. Damien Fahrenfort (Kommetjie)

3. Klee Strachan (Winkelspruit)

4. Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay)

Heat 3
1. Granger Larsen (HAW)
2. Tamaroa McComb (TAH)
4. Peterson Crisanto (BRA)
3. Warwick Wright (Durban)


Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay

Round 1 Match-Ups:


Heat 1: Adrian Buchan (AUS), Roy Powers (HAW), Tiago Pires (PRT)

Heat 2: Bobby Martinez (USA), Jay Thompson (AUS), Ben Bourgeois (USA)

Heat 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Jordy Smith (ZAF), Travis Logie (ZAF)

Heat 4: C.J. Hobgood (USA), Ben Dunn (AUS), Jihad Khodr (BRA)

Heat 5: Andy Irons (HAW), Bruce Irons (HAW), Daniel Ross (AUS)

Heat 6: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Damien Hobgood (USA), Ricky Basnett (ZAF)

Heat 7: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Taylor Knox (USA), Nic Muscroft (AUS)

Heat 8: Kelly Slater (USA), Dayyan Neve (AUS), TBD

Heat 9: Mick Fanning (AUS), Dane Reynolds (USA), TBD

Heat 10: Taj Burrow (AUS), Tom Whitaker (AUS), TBD

Heat 11: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Chris Ward (USA), Royden Bryson (ZAF)

Heat 12: Luke Stedman (AUS), Mikael Picon (FRA), Daniel Wills (AUS)

Heat 13: Kai Otton (AUS), Neco Padaratz (BRA), Leonardo Neves (BRA)

Heat 14: Tim Reyes (USA), Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Heitor Alves (BRA)

Heat 15: Dean Morrison (AUS), Luke Munro (AUS), Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA)

Heat 16: Pancho Sullivan (HAW), Michael Campbell (AUS), Kieren Perrow (AUS)