Austin Ware : photo courtesy ASP

Team News

Austin Ware and Patrick Gudauskas finish fifth in Brazil

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 13 July, 2009 : - - Huntington Beach -- Action on The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) continued this week when Austin Ware (Solana Beach, CA), 28, and Patrick Gudauskas (San Clemente, CA), 23, led their fellow Americans when they earned equal fifth place finishes at the ASP 6-Star Maresia Surf International at Praia Mole in Florianopolis, Brazil.

The world’s top up-and-coming competitive surfers are looking to finish within the top 15 on the ASP WQS at year’s end in order to qualify for the prestigious ASP Dream Tour. Once qualified they earn the chance to do battle against the world’s top 45 surfers in a chance to take the title of ASP World Champion.

After a solid result in the South Africa, North San Diego County local Austin Ware carried his momentum to South America, where he showed up to Brazil in devastating form, earning a fifth place finish and significantly helping his cause on The Grind.

“I feel good,” Ware said. “I got some good waves and moved on. Compared to yesterday it is really, really windy and the swell’s direction is a little different, but there are still a lot of pockets and I really feel strong on my backhand.”

Ware’s fifth place result at the ASP 6-Star event continues his climb up the ASP WQS ratings and the powerful regular-footer is now rated 10th overall amongst his international competitors.

Patrick Gudauskas matched Ware’s result of a fifth place finish at the Maresia Surf International when he bested a slue of international talent including a hungry pile of Brazilian standouts before he was topped by current ASP WQS No. 7 Matt Wilkinson (AUS).

“I think I had a little bit of advantage on the backside, because there is a strong wind coming up the face," Gudauskas said. “The other guy (David do Carmo) was surfing really good all the event, so I’m happy to move on. Everyone is surfing good and in these conditions anything is possible."

The Quarterfinals finish by Gudauskas should be a keeper in his score line towards qualification for the 2010 ASP Dream Tour and the explosive regular-footer is sitting in the No. 8 spot overall after the Brazilian event.

Brett Simpson (Huntington Beach, CA), 24, and Nathan Yeomans (San Clemente, CA), 28, also donated notable performances when they marched through the tough competition on their way to ninth place finishes at the critical ASP 6-Star event.

As the ASP WQS approaches the halfway mark in the season, there are currently five Americans within the top 15 on the ratings. Tanner Gudauskas (San Clemente, CA), 21, who is fresh off of his win at the ASP 6-Star in South Africa, is leading the American charge and currently rated fifth overall. Brother Patrick Gudauskas is rated eighth overall, Simpson is sitting in ninth, and Ware is rounding out the run in 10th. Yeomans is topping out the Californian contingent and is sitting at No. 14.

The next critical event on The Grind will be the ASP 6-Star Rip Curl presenting Coca Cola Saquarema Pro, which is also held in Brazil and will be running from July 14-19, 2009.

www.aspworldtour.com 
www.aspnorthamerica.org

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Dave Prodan
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