Logie shines in O’Neill Coldwater Classic

8 November 2012

 

South African surfer Travis Logie matched his career best result on the ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) when he surfed his way into third place at the O’Neill Coldwater Classic at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, California on Tuesday.

 

Needing a big result to re-qualify for the 2013 WCT, Logie was in devastating form in the two-metre-plus waves on the final day of the event, dispatching giant-killer Raoni Monteiro of Brazil in round five and WCT rankings leader, Australia’s Joel Parkinson, in the quarter-finals before being ousted by eventual winner Taj Burrow in their semi-final encounter.

 

‘Pretty stoked’

 

“I’m pretty stoked with how I surfed in this event,” Logie said after his exit. “I’m really disappointed because I had one really good score (8.33 out of 10) in that heat and I feel like I just needed an average one to make it through. Taj has been ripping though, and congratulations to him.”

 

Logie, who entered the O’Neill Coldwater Classic ranked 26th, vaulted up the rankings to 17th place, well inside the cut-off point of 22 surfers who automatically re-qualify for a spot on the following year’s elite tour, with just one event at Pipeline in Hawaii still to be run.

 

“This result is huge for me,” Logie said. “These points are massive. I was looking pretty out of it going in to this event and a third place here shoots me quite a bit up the rankings. I’m still not home and dry, but hopefully in Hawaii I can make up some points.”

 

10th on ASP World Rankings

 

Logie earned $17 500 (approx. R150 000) and a priceless 6 500 points, which also elevated him to 10th place on the ASP World Rankings where the top 10 who have not already qualified via their WCT rankings, also qualify for the WCT.

 

With two Prime rated events scheduled for Hawaii, the 33-year-old Durbanite is guaranteed an additional 500 points on the rankings just by entering.

 

Burrow built momentum throughout the event and took out three goofy-foot standouts on the final day with an amazing variety of forehand manoeuvres, toppling young Brazilian Gabriel Medina Logie and then his Australian compatriot and good friend Matt Wilkinson in the final.

 

Second win

 

Burrow’s win marks his second of the season after he snatched the opening event on the Gold Coast of Australia. Western Australia’s favourite son now sits at number six on the 2012 ASP WCT rankings.

 

“I really wanted to win another event this year, especially since I’m out of the race for the title,” Burrow said. “That’s pretty depressing, but I’m really happy that it just fell into place here in Santa Cruz.

 

“To get two wins in a year, I’ve only done that once before so I’m really happy.”

 

Highest score

 

Wilkinson, a former winner at the venue when it hosted a Prime-rated event in 2010, continued his backhand assault at Steamer Lane, recording the day’s highest heat total of 17.73, while defeating Brazil’s Adriano de Souza and Michel Bourez of French Polynesia to attain his first ASP WCT Final appearance.

 

“I was stoked when I made it through the third round,” Wilkinson said. “Every heat after that, I just kept building. I felt amazing. I was getting nines and backing them up.

 

“All year I’ve been dropping one big score. Out here, I felt like I was getting better every heat. I had that one (in the final) that would have been a nine if I made it out of that last turn.”

 

Heading into the final event of the year, the Billabong Pipeline Masters, which take place from 8 to 20 December, three surfers remain mathematically in contention for the 2012 ASP World Title: Joel Parkinson, Kelly Slater (USA) and Mick Fanning (Aus).

 

CURRENT ASP WCT TOP FIVE
(After O’Neill Coldwater Classic):

 

 

• Joel Parkinson (AUS) 53 900 pts

 

• Kelly Slater (USA) 50 700 pts

 

• Mick Fanning (AUS) 47 000 pts

 

• John John Florence (HAW) 44 350 pts

 

• Adriano de Souza (BRA) 42 350 pts

 

South Africans

 

• 12. Jordy Smith 26 650 pts

 

• 17. Travis Logie 16 250 pts

 

SAinfo reporter