Seeds tumble to young Australians on Day 4 of Margaret River Pro

Australian surfers revelled in the fantastic two-metre (six-foot) surf atthe Margaret River Pro presented by O’Neill, posting many excellent wavescores and eliminating a number of internationally-seeded surfers in theprocess.




Local West Australian surfer, Jason Duffy set the scene this morningby winning the opening heat of the day, defeating Hawaiian Gavin Gillettteand Corey Garcia (USA) . Super comfortable in the clean waves, Duffy wasin second position for most of the heat, before finding a perfect largerwave and unleashing three powerful bottom-to-critical-top-turncombinations. He was rewarded with an excellent 8.77 out of a possible 10,to take the lead and easily win the heat.

After his win today, Duffy was looking forward to his Round Four heat wherehe’ll face Japan’s highest-rated surfer, Masatoshi Ohno and Hawaii’s DustinCuizon.

“It’s exciting now because all the heats are super high quality. Ohno is afantastic surfer and I’ll have to be right at the top of my game againsthim, but I know these waves really well and figure I can match them all ifI surf a smart heat.”

Finishing second behind Duffy was young Hawaiian surfer Gavin Gillette,who, in the four-man heat format of the event, was able to progress throughto Round Four.

Seeded surfers suffered throughout the morning to the onslaught by many ofthe qualifying Australians. USAsurfers suffered the most, with Wesley DeSouza, Corey Garcia, Justin McBride, Shaun Burrell, Tyler {{{Fox}}} and JoshMontgomery all eliminated in their opening heats.

Of the multitude of Australians to progress, Clint Kimmins (Gold Coast,QLD), Rhys Smith (Newcastle, NSW), Rhys Bombaci (Kiama, NSW) and JoelFitzgerald (Narrrabeen, NSW) were the standouts.

The other highlight of the morning was the performance of New Zealandsurfer Bobby Hansen, who was again in outstanding form, today posting boththe highest-scoring single wave score (9.17) and the highest-scoring heattally (17.17 out of a possible 20) in his explosive win over USA’s DarylGoodrum.




After his win, a relaxed Hansen said: “The waves are great and I’m feelinggood, but from here on in it gets serious with the highest-seeded surfersentering the event. I’m really going to have to maintain and even build onmy form to stay in.”

Perfect weather and ideal conditions are setting the scene for a hugeweekend at MargaretRiver, with crowds expected to be bigger than ever. TheQuarter Finals through to Finals will see attention focussed on the event’shighest seeds, which include WA’s own Jake Paterson, surfing legend MarkOcchilupo and contest defending champion Troy Brooks, all expected to surftheir opening heats on Friday.

As well as spectacular competition between the world’s top surfers, theevent showcases the unique virtues of the State’s beautiful South West,including Margaret River’s stunning beaches, breathtaking natural settingsand premium Western Australian food and wine.




Major sponsors include Tourism Western Australiaand new presenting sponsorO’Neill Australia, the world’s leading wetsuit supplier and a committedsupporter of Australian surfing and ASP events worldwide. Other sponsorsinclude {{{Nova}}} 93.7, Department of Sport & Recreation, SunSmart, BrownesChill, Tooheys Extra Dry, {{{Odyssey}}} 2020, Surftech, Coca-Cola, LeeuwinEstate, Chooks Fresh & Tasty, The Sunday Times, Margarets Beach Resort,Margaret River Law, FCS Fin Control Systems, Tracks, Surfersvillage, Shireof Augusta Margaret River, Association of Surfing Professionals andSurfingWA.

To be held in conjunction with the Margaret River Pro will be the ninthannual ‘Mainbreak’ concert, this Saturday, April 1 at Margaret River Oval.Mainbreak features a kaleidoscope of live sounds, including themulti-platinum king of pop n roll, Ben Lee in his only WA show, alongsideinternational drum and bass superstars Pendulum, plus Bodyjar,Butterfingers, Cowtown, Raggabeats, Fdel, Armee, Cooker and Adema. Fortickets and full details, visit www.heatseeker.com.au.

Contest runs from 7.00am daily. Monday to Thursday (March 27 to 30) –entry is free. Friday to Sunday (March 31 to April 2) – entry is $8 foradults and free for children under 12. Industry VIP tickets are availablefor just $50, offering prime viewing from a licensed marquee – contactSurfing WA on (08) 9448 0004, email nadia.auletta@surfingwa.com.au or visitthe Beach Life Surf Shop in Margaret River.

For further information on the 2006 MargaretRiverPro presented by O’Neill,or to watch the event live online, go to www.margaretriverpro.com. Fortravel, accommodation and visitor information, contact theMargaretRiverVisitor Centre on (08) 9757 2911, emailwelcome@margaretriver.com or visit www.margaretriver.com.

WATCH THE EVENT LIVE @ www.margaretriverpro.com