The GO211 LIVE featuring the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing presented by O’Neill has whittled the original field of 192 surfers down to the final 24, only two of which are elite ASP World Tour campaigners, as today’s competition marked the completion of the Round of 48 in the clean-but-decreasing swell of two-to-three feet (1 metre).
Standouts in today’s Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-Star event included resident Orange County natives Brett Simpson (Huntington Beach, CA) and Chris Waring (Seal Beach, CA) draw on their familiarity with Huntington Beach to post the day’s highest scores, while ASP World Tour surfers Roy Powers (Hanelei, HI) and Timmy Reyes (San Clemente, CA) advanced through their heats with solid wins over their opponents.
Simpson, current No. 15 on the ASP WQS, earned the day’s top honors of highest single-wave score with a near-flawless 9.87 out of 10 contributing to the day’s highest heat total of 18.87 out of a possible 20 for a stunning come-from-behind victory in the latter half of the heat.
“I had such a slow start and it was really frustrating so I just took it out on the waves,” Simpson said. “I got next to the pier and nobody was there and that wave came and I got the 9.87.”
Moments after clawing his way into the top position with his 9.87, Simpson solidified his advancement with an unbelievable aerial to post a 9.00 out of a possible 10.
“I just thought I had a good section and I knew I should go for it,” Simpson said. “I know that they are scoring good on high-risk maneuvers. I’m trying to just relax and keep doing what I’m doing and when you get a solid score it allows you to do a bigger move on your next wave.”