Scene set for thrilling O’Neill Scottburgh Pro showdown

SSA Pro Mens and Womens event
Scottburgh Beach, KZN Coast South Africa
24 - 25 March 2007

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 24 March, 2007 : - - The scene has been set for a thrilling surfing final Sunday at the O’Neill Scottburgh Pro on the KZN mid-south coast. The inaugural O’Neill Scottburgh Pro provides men and women’s division surfers with the first opportunity to open their points for the 2007 Surfing South Africa (SSA) Pro Surf Tour (PST). The men’s and women’s finals are scheduled to take to the water at 1.20pm with the prize giving taking place at 2.30pm.

“After the recent storms that have been battering the Durban shores over the last week or so, we have been blessed with some fantastically clean and powerful surf and great weather for many of the top surfers in the country to showcase their talent at our new O’Neill Scottburgh Pro event.

We look forward to building and developing this key event for O’Neill in Durban over the next couple of years, to enhance the level of surfing in South Africa and increase the presence of O’Neill as a brand in Durban,” commented O’Neill spokesperson Chris Bertish.

Neptune came to the party on Saturday with perfect, clean offshore one-metre waves on offer all day. The waves today are expected to remain in the contestable 3 to 4 foot range with light winds.

Sunday sees the emergence of the men’s top seeds when the round of 32 surfers takes to the water at 8.00am. Names to watch include Lyle Bottcher (Durban North), Antonio Bortoletto (Durban), Josh Redman (Umdloti) and former PST champion Shane Thorne (Bluff).

The big guns will need to contend with the stars from the first day of the event such as Justin Sanders (Durban) who blitzed the local opposition to score the highest heat tally of 13 out of a possible 20 points. Sanders’ high scores could be attributed to his slick barrel riding and powerful turns.

Luke Patterson (Umdloti) also impressed the judges with his repertoire of moves which saw him advance with ease in his heats to claim the second highest heat total of 12.5-points.

Top honours for the highest single wave scores of the day were shared between Ryan Bisset (Morningside) and Byron Howarth (Berea) who both earned 7-points for waves in their second round clashes. Both Bisset and Howarth are on a comeback trail; Howarth recently returned home from working and living in Australia for the last two and a half years.

Women who excelled in the early rounds of day one included rising stars Heather Klug (Glenwood), Kirsty Delport (Berea), Danielle Le Roux (Umdloti) and Julia Morris (Scottburgh). Spectacular surfing is anticipated in the finals where the country’s top surfers will be vying for a share of the R15, 000 prize purse as well as valuable points on the SSA PST.

Other activities which will be open to the public include Pam Golding’s property exhibition, kite flying, a learn to surf clinic by Point Surf Academy, music and the Vans Expression Session where invited surfers will be going for crazy airborne maneuvers.

Surfers Paradise, Pam Golding Properties – Savills International, Phat Boyz, Netcare 911, Speak Easy, Vans, USN Ultimate Sports Nutrition, Clayton / Vendetta surfboards and Wimpy are co-sponsors of the O’Neill Scottburgh Pro. The event is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa, the governing body for the sport in South Africa and is organized by Nerve Events with support from Umdoni Coast & Country Tourism.

Previous reports:
# 1 : O'Neill Scottburgh Pro gears up for the KZN South Coast
# 2 : Entries pour in for South Africa's O'Neill Scottburgh Pro
# 3 : Storm surf damage could hamper O'Neill Scottburgh Pro
# 4 : All systems go for South Africa's O’Neill Scottburgh Pro

www.oneill.com
www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za

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