 Michel Bourez : photo ASP Kirstin/Covered Images
Reef Hawaiian Pro
ASP 6-Star Prime WQS Men's Event Alii Beach Haleiwa Oahu Hawaii 12 - 23 November 2008
Live Coverage | Results/Photos/Videos etc
Michel Bourez wins Reef Hawaiian Pro, qualifies for WCT
Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 22 November, 2008 : - - Haleiwa -- Tahitian Michel Bourez, 22, scored a career-best win in Hawaii today, taking first place in the $135,000 Reef Hawaiian Pro and an early lead on the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing series ratings.
Prior to today, Bourez's best result was a minor event win in the Canary Islands in 2005. Today's result takes him to the No.2 ranking on the ASP World Qualifying Series ratings, guaranteeing him a start on the elite ASP World Tour in 2009. Bourez earned $15,000 for his win today.
Runner-up was Brazil's Jihad Khodr, 24 ($7,500); third was Hawaii's Kekoa Bacalso (Mililani, $4,500), and fourth was Maui's Dusty Payne, the youngest of the finalists at 19 and the only surfer to come all the way through from the very first round, surfing eight times to earn $4,400.
In conditions that more closely resembled the hollow tubes of Tahiti or Hawaii's Off-The-Wall, Bourez hit his stride in the semi-finals in an unbelievable demonstration of deep tube-riding and critical power maneuvers, posting the highest wave and heat scores of the entire event: 18.96 points out of 20 for the heat, and 9.93 out of 10 for his top tube ride. In the final, he posted a total of 16.77 points with scores of 9.77 and 7.0.
 Michel Bourez : photo ASP Rowland/Covered Images
"That semi was maybe the best heat of my life," said Bourez. "Everybody was getting barreled I was screaming my head off. It was so sick. I was having so much fun out there and that's what I call a good contest.
"It means a lot to just (qualify for) the World Tour. I've been dreaming about this my whole life since I started to surf. I've been watching all the best surfers, like Kelly (Slater) and (Rob) Machado, all those guys. And, right now I can surf with them. It's a good opportunity for me and all the Tahitian surfers. I'm stoked for Tahiti."
If Bourez can hold onto his lead of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing series ratings, he could win a $10,000 bonus and a $10,000 one-of-a-kind Nixon tide watch featuring over two-carats of diamonds. Khodr also had the crowd going wild with a hugely successful mix of determination, tube-riding and never-say-die attack on every wave he rode. Khodr peaked on time in the final, coming so close but just short of the win.
His final scoreline: 16.5 with individual wave scores of 8.5 and 8.0 for a couple of great tubes that were slightly shorter and not as deep as Bourez's. Khodr's result today moved him up to fifth on the WQS rankings and back onto the World Tour stage in 2009
 Jihad Khodr : photo ASP Rowland/Covered Images
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"It was real hard for me to get a good result this year," said Khodr. "When I got to Hawai'i I knew something was going to change and I got second place. I'm so stoked. (2009) is going to be my first year on the ASP World Tour."
The highest placed US Mainland surfers were Brett Simpson and Timmy Reyes, both from Huntington Beach. Simpson lost in semi-final with a score that would have seen him advance through the majority of heats this event - 14.07. He placed equal 7th overall. Reyes lost in the quarter finals, placing equal 13th overall.
The top placing Australians were Nic Muscroft (equal fifth, semi-final loss), and Joel Parkinson (equal fifth, semi-final loss). Defending Vans Triple Crown champion Bede Durbidge also lost in the semi-finals, placing equal 7th overall. Parkinson and Bede suffered a wave-starved heat that left them with nothing to ride and no chance at reaching the final again this year.
The final day of the Reef Hawaiian Pro started out just short of a washout. Pouring rain and howling onshore winds greeted competitors at dawn and the event came close to being called off. Then the wind began to clock and before long the rubble was transformed into airbrushed barrels. For those spectators who braved the conditions, the returns were huge.
 Kekoa Bacalso : photo ASP Cestari/Covered Images
Heading on to the next event, the following Qualifying Series surfers are considered "safe" for qualifying for the 2009 ASP World Tour: Nathaniel Curran (USA), Michel Bourez (Tahiti), Chris Davidson (Australia), Gabe Kling (US), Jihad Khodr (Brazil), Josh Kerr (Aus), Kekoa Bacalso (Hawaii), Nic Muscroft (Aust), Tim Boal (France), Tiago Pires (Portugal) and Dustin Barca (Hawaii).
The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing series now moves to Sunset Beach for the men's O'Neill World Cup of Surfing and the women's Roxy Pro. The holding period for these events begins Monday, November 24 and runs through to December 6.
To examine surf updates for the coming days, visit official forecasters Wetsand.com .
Highest heat score of the day: 18.96 (9.93 & 9.03) - Michel Bourez (Tahiti) Semi-final 1
Highest single wave score today: 9.93 - Michel Bourez (Tahiti) Semi-final 1
 Dusty Payne : photo ASP Cestari/Covered Images
RESULTS
MEN'S FINAL 1st. Michel Bourez (Tahiti) - 16.77 out of 20 (9.77 & 7.0) - $15,000 2nd. Jihad Khodr (Brazil) - 16.5 (8.5 & 8.0)- $7,500 3rd. Kekoa Bacalso (Hawaii) 15.83 (9.0 & 6.83) - $4,500 4th. Dusty Payne (Hawaii) 4.67 (2.67 & 2.0) - $4,400
MEN'S SEMI-FINALS: H1: Michel Bourez (PYF), Kekoa Bacalso (HI), Nic Muscroft (Aus), Brett Simpson (CA) H2: Jihad Khodr (Brz), Dusty Payne (HI), Joel Parkinson (Aus), Bede Durbidge (Aus)
MEN'S QUARTER FINALS: H1: Kekoa Bacalso (HI), Michel Bourez (PYF), Evan Valiere (HI), Greg Emslie (SAf) H2: Nic Muscroft (Aus), Brett Simpson (CA), Sunny Garcia (HI), Kieren Perrow (Aus) H3: Bede Durbidge (Aus), Dusty Payne (HI), Chris Ward (CA), Dayyan Neve (Aus) H4: Jihad Khodr (Brz), Joel Parkinson (Aus), Dustin Barca (HI), Tim Reyes (CA)
Men's Round of 32: H1: Greg Emslie (SAf), Brett Simpson (US), Jay Thompson (Aus), Kekoa Cazimero (HI) H2: Kekoa Bacalso (HI), Nic Muscroft (Aus), Tonino Benson (HI), Pancho Sullivan (HI) H3: Kieren Perrow (Aus), Michel Bourez (PYF), Joel Centeio (HI), Taj Burrow (Aus) H4: Sunny Garcia (HI), Evan Valiere (HI), Gabe Kling (US), Kai Otton (Aus) H5: Dusty Payne (HI), Jihad Khodr (Brz), Roy Powers (HI), Taylor Knox (US) H6: Bede Durbidge (Aus), Tim Reyes (US), Dustin Cuizon (HI), Makua Rothman (HI) H7: Dustin Barca (HI), Dayyan Neve (Aus), Wiggolly Dantas (Brz), Rodrigo Dornelles (Brz) H8: Joel Parkinson (Aus), Chris Ward (CA), Jordy Smith (SAf), Adam Melling (Aus)
Check the Full Results
 Bede Durbidge : photo ASP Cestari/Covered Images
WQS ratings after the Reef Hawaiian Pro
| 1 |
Curran,Nathaniel |
USA |
13200 |
| 2 |
Bourez,Michel |
PYF |
12775 |
| 3 |
Davidson,Chris |
AUS |
12525 |
| 4 |
Kling,Gabe |
USA |
12476 |
| 5 |
Khodr,Jihad |
BRA |
12150 |
| 6 |
Kerr,Josh |
AUS |
12075 |
| 7 |
Bacalso,Kekoa |
HAW |
11913 |
| 8 |
Muscroft,Nic |
AUS |
11900 |
| 9 |
Boal,Tim |
FRA |
11888 |
| 10 |
Pires,Tiago |
PRT |
11750 |
| 11 |
Barca,Dustin |
HAW |
11726 |
| 12 |
Emslie,Greg |
ZAF |
11626 |
| 13 |
Courtney,Drew |
AUS |
11600 |
| 14 |
Lipke,Marlon |
DEU |
11450 |
| 14 |
Weare,David |
ZAF |
11450 |
| 16 |
Gudauskas,Patrick |
USA |
11438 |
| 17 |
MacDonald,Phillip |
AUS |
11263 |
| 18 |
Bettero,Hizunome |
BRA |
11125 |
| 19 |
Romao,Simao |
BRA |
11000 |
| 20 |
Simpson,Brett |
USA |
10838 |
| 21 |
Andre,Jadson |
BRA |
10738 |
| 22 |
Nicol,Yadin |
AUS |
10675 |
| 23 |
Dantas,Wiggolly |
BRA |
10463 |
| 24 |
Garcia,Sunny |
HAW |
10425 |
| 24 |
Monteiro,Raoni |
BRA |
10425 |
| 26 |
Henrique,Pedro |
BRA |
10263 |
| 27 |
Alves,Heitor |
BRA |
10250 |
| 28 |
Cansdell,Shaun |
AUS |
10150 |
| 29 |
Gossmann,Shaun |
AUS |
10138 |
| 30 |
Paulino,Pablo |
BRA |
10100 |
| 31 |
Yeomans,Nathan |
USA |
10050 |
| 32 |
Atkinson,Dion |
AUS |
9976 |
| 33 |
Neves,Leonardo |
BRA |
9925 |
| 34 |
Sedley,Leigh |
AUS |
9775 |
| 35 |
Melling,Adam |
AUS |
9563 |
| 36 |
Robertson,Adam |
AUS |
9552 |
| 37 |
Ware,Austin |
USA |
9550 |
| 38 |
Dornelles,Rodrigo |
BRA |
9463 |
| 39 |
Thompson,Jay |
AUS |
9413 |
| 40 |
Ross,Daniel |
AUS |
9113 |
| 41 |
Cuizon,Dustin |
HAW |
8975 |
| 42 |
Centeio,Joel |
HAW |
8963 |
| 43 |
Duru,Joan |
FRA |
8913 |
| 44 |
Sodre,Yuri |
BRA |
8700 |
| 45 |
Hall,Glenn |
IRE |
8675 |
| 46 |
Gonzalez,Jonathan |
CNY |
8625 |
| 47 |
Losness,Mike |
USA |
8600 |
| 48 |
Cardoso,Willian |
BRA |
8425 |
| 49 |
Silva,Andre |
BRA |
8388 |
| 50 |
Wilkinson,Matt |
AUS |
8225 |
| 51 |
Logie,Travis |
ZAF |
8213 |
| 51 |
Ohno,Masatoshi |
JPN |
8213 |
| 53 |
Hedge,Nathan |
AUS |
8175 |
| 54 |
Miranda,Bernardo |
BRA |
8126 |
| 55 |
Silva,Jean da |
BRA |
8100 |
| 56 |
Wright,Warwick |
ZAF |
7988 |
| 57 |
Payne,Dusty |
HAW |
7957 |
| 58 |
Beven,Patrick |
FRA |
7950 |
| 59 |
Bombaci,Rhys |
AUS |
7925 |
| 60 |
Gudauskas,Tanner |
USA |
7726 |
| 61 |
Zubizarreta,Gony |
ESP |
7675 |
| 62 |
Ziems,Corey |
AUS |
7650 |
| 63 |
Souza,Adriano de |
BRA |
7594 |
| 64 |
Savalli,Hugo |
REU |
7475 |
| 65 |
Flintoff,Kirk |
AUS |
7450 |
| 66 |
Gudauskas,Dane |
USA |
7426 |
| 67 |
Benson,Tonino |
HAW |
7375 |
| 68 |
Galvao,Renato |
BRA |
7288 |
| 69 |
Acero,Eneko |
EUK |
7275 |
| 70 |
Polo,Marco |
BRA |
7263 |
| 71 |
Hansen,Bobby |
NZL |
7150 |
| 72 |
Aranburu,Aritz |
EUK |
7113 |
| 73 |
Coutinho,Odirlei |
BRA |
7100 |
| 74 |
Thornton,Blake |
AUS |
7075 |
| 75 |
Mariano,Adilton |
BRA |
6925 |
| 76 |
Padaratz,Neco |
BRA |
6900 |
| 77 |
Collazo,Hodei |
ESP |
6888 |
| 78 |
Rothman,Makuakai |
HAW |
6882 |
| 79 |
Ward,Shaun |
USA |
6776 |
| 80 |
Fahrenfort,Damien |
ZAF |
6738 |
| 81 |
Bastos,Leandro |
BRA |
6688 |
| 82 |
Laulhe,Romain |
FRA |
6675 |
| 83 |
Wilson,Blake |
AUS |
6632 |
| 84 |
Gillette,Gavin |
HAW |
6625 |
| 85 |
Belo,Jano |
BRA |
6614 |
| 86 |
Campbell,Ryan |
AUS |
6600 |
| 87 |
Barron,T.J |
HAW |
6576 |
| 88 |
Ward,Chris |
USA |
6556 |
| 89 |
Rebiere,Eric |
FRA |
6550 |
| 90 |
Toth,Brian |
PRI |
6538 |
| 91 |
Stang,Che |
USA |
6525 |
| 92 |
Bortoletto,Antonio |
ZAF |
6513 |
| 93 |
Sullivan,Jarrad |
AUS |
6444 |
| 94 |
Riou,Alain |
PYF |
6413 |
| 95 |
Herdy,Guilherme |
BRA |
6375 |
| 96 |
Novak,Flynn |
HAW |
6338 |
| 97 |
Trekinho,Marcelo |
BRA |
6301 |
| 98 |
Kennedy,Stuart |
AUS |
6289 |
| 99 |
Kimmins,Clint |
AUS |
6288 |
| 100 |
Fisher,Paul |
AUS |
6275 |
Check the Full Ratings
 Michel Bourez : photo ASP Cestari/Covered Images
The $815,000 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing consists of the Reef Hawaiian Pro, Haleiwa, Nov. 12-23 (6* WQS, men and women), the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing, Sunset Beach, Nov.24-Dec.6 (6*WQS men), The Roxy Pro, Sunset Beach, Nov.24-Dec.6 (WCT women), the Billabong Pipeline Masters (men), Pipeline, Dec. 8-20 (WCT); and the Billabong Pro Maui (women), Honolua Bay, Maui, Dec. 8-20 (WCT).
In addition to $815,000 in prize money, which includes a $10,000 bonus for both the men's and women's Vans Triple Crown champions, the men's champion will also receive a custom, one-of-a-kind Nixon tide watch featuring over two-carats of diamonds and valued at over $10,000.
The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing is made possible by support of the following partners:
Event Sponsors: REEF, O'NEILL, ROXY, BILLABONG Official Energy Drink: Rock Star Official Airline: Hawaiian Airlines Official Lodging: Turtle Bay Resort Official Timing: Nixon Official Media: Surfing Magazine Official Car Rental: Advantage Webcast Powered By: Wetsand.com TV Partners: Fuel TV & Rush HD Media Support: The Honolulu Advertiser Connectivity Powered by: RoadRunner Auto Support: JN Chevrolet Official Water: Hawaiian Springs Water

Previous reports: # 1 : Reef Hawaiian Pro set to light up Hawaii's Winter season # 2 : Swell on the way as Reef Hawaiian Pro kicks of Vans T.C. # 3 : Reef Hawaiian Pro kick-off party set to light up Red Lion U
# 4 : Haleiwa shines for opening day of the Reef Hawaiian Pro # 5 : Reef Hawaiian Pro sees Haleiwa look like clean Lowers # 6 : Reef Hawaiian Pro men's & women's heats rock Haleiwa
# 7 : Reef Hawaiian Pro Men's & Women's heats get a lay day # 8 : Reef Hawaiian Pro rests up, awaits new NW swell arrival # 9 : Carissa Moore claims the Women's Reef Hawaiian Pro
www.reef.com www.aspworldtour.com www.triplecrownofsurfing.com
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