Round two just wrapped up at the Oakley Pro Bali with 3-to-5 foot waves lining the pristine Keramas’ beaches. This fifth event in the ASP World Tour marks the halfway point, so everyone knows the importance of coming away with a good score all too well. With only five events to go, surfers are pulling out all of the tricks in hopes of gaining the judges’ attention. So, who prevailed during round one at the Oakley Pro Bali? Check out our coverage below.
Kelly Slater took full advantage of the attractive surfing conditions and first place seed from the previous round. Slater went up against 16-year old Jack Robinson, whom he annihilated. Of course, Slater is name to be reckoned with in the 2013 ASP World Championship Tour, as he’s sitting comfortably in first place with 26950 points. Following behind Slater is Mick Flanning with 26200 points and then Jordy Smith with 23450 points. It’s anyone’s game with half the tour still up for grabs.
Slater is scheduled to surf against wildcard winner Putra Hermawan from Indonesia during the third round at Oakley Pro Bali. When asked about the experience, Hermawan responded by saying, “I am proud to be representing Indonesia and the waves are very fun. I hope I can keep surfing well.” He’s certainly need to keep surfing well if he plans to win against Slater. After coming into round one with a first place seed, Slater is red hot right now, and it doesn’t look like anything is going to slow him down. Coming away with a win here is going to be monumental task for Hermawan, but maintaining a good attitude and surfing the way he’s been doing will certainly give him a shot.
Round three of Oakley Pro Bali will kick off with Taj Burrow facing Miguel Pupo. Unfortunately, however, lay days have forced organizers to postpone round three until better conditions appear. There have been several lay days called thus far, and it looks like organizers may be forced to continue calling them unless the weather turns back around. Organizers meet around 7:00am each morning to determine whether or not the conditions are suitable for surfing.
So, who do you think is going to win the Oakley Pro Bali competition? Burrow, Smith and Slater are all on fire right now, showing some of their best stuff. As most people already know, though, it’s still anyone’s game out there.