Mr Price Pro

ASP 6 Star WQS Event
North Beach, Durban
30 June- 9 July 2006

Scores/Results/Photos/Video etc

Cracker Start Expected at Mr Price Pro

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 29 June, 2006 : - - Excitement around the seventh annual six-star World Qualifying Series (WQS) Mr Price Pro is building as an elite squadron of WQS surfers arrive in Durban this week. With solid 2- 2.5-meter waves and ten second barrels spitting across the sand bank at North Beach on Wednesday, organisers are anticipating a cracker start to South Africa’s premier surfing event, which gets underway on Friday 30 June.  

Boasting the highest number of entries in the history of professional surfing in South Africa, this year’s Mr Price Pro will see 300 surfers descend on North Beach to compete in the R1 Million event. 

Spilling with World Championship Tour talent, the line-up includes former ASP world number five Phil MacDonald (Cronulla, NSW), former Bells Beach Pro champion Trent Munro  (Cronulla, NSW) and former ASP world number eight Nathan Hedge (Scotts Head, NSW) who are the top seeds for the event.  

The South Africa contingent weighs in with a healthy, three World Championship Tour Campaigners including a former world number one on the WQS Greg Emslie (East London), former ASP world number 20 Travis Logie (Durban) who is the highest rated South African at the event and WCT Rookie David Weare (Durban).  

Emslie and Travis have both reached the finals of this event in the past and with years of experience at North beach, are determined to win the event. Boasting a total prize-money purse of US$ 125 000 (R862 500), the winner of the men’s division will walk away with a check for US$15 000 (equivalent of R100 500), an amount unheard of on the South African Pro Surf Tour (PST).  

The lovely Megan Abubo (Hawaii) is the top seed for the women’s five star WQS event and arrives with former two times Mr Price Pro champion Jacqueline Silva (Brazil), who is the second seed, on Friday. 

Adding fuel to the fire in the women’s division are ASP Pro Junior World Champion Jessi Miley Dyer (Australia) and WCT wildcard sensation Stephanie Gilmore (Australia), not to mention former event champions Serena Brooke (Australia) and Melanie Bartels (Hawaii

WCT campaigner Heather Clark (Port Shepstone) is South Africa’s top seed, followed by South Africa’s leading WQS campaigner Tammy Lee Smith (Ballito) who was the highest placed South African at this event last year. The women’s division holds a total prize-money purse of US$25 000 including a first-place check for US$4000 (R28 768).  

Because the future of surfing belongs in the hands of junior surfers, the Mr Price Pro will kick off with the R25 000 Mr Price Pro Junior event for junior men and women. 

The Pro Junior event runs from Friday 30 June – Saturday 1 July but will stop at the end of the semi finals, meaning the eight remaining surfers will have to wait a whole week before they compete in their finals, which take place prior to the Women’s and Men’s finals the following weekend.  

Top seeds for the Pro Junior division are South African U20 Champion Keegan Nel (East London) and former South African U20 Roseanne Hodge (East London).  

The Mr Price Pro is one of the most prestigious events on the World Qualifying Series tour and holds vital ratings points needed to qualify for the ASP World Championship Tour. 

All the action will be broadcast via the live webcast on www.mrpricepro.com. 

Previous reports:
# 1 : Coming soon
# 2 : Coming soon
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

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For more information Contact;

Mr Price Sports Marketing
Clynt Lund
clund@mrpricegroup.com

Tostee.com
kirstin@tostee.com

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