Ward makes a move and advances to quarterfinals
As more recognizable professional surfers fell by the wayside Friday at the Jeep-Body Glove Surfbout, a few of the lesser known hammered away at making a name for themselves.
Shaun Ward of Huntington Beach was among the hopefuls who advanced to this morning’s quarterfinals at Lower Trestles, just south of San Clemente. The first four-man heat begins at 9:40 a.m., followed by the semifinals at 12:10 p.m. and the final at 1:30.
Ward, 24, is hoping to boost his point total at the four-star World Qualifying Series event and make a surge in the season rankings. The top 16 at year’s end earn a spot on the prestigious World Championship Tour.
“I’ve been stuck just out of the 100s,” Ward said of his recent WQS rankings. “I want to be in the top 50, if not qualify, that’s the whole point.”
Ward was tempted to travel to Scotland this week for a six-star contest, which offers more points toward qualifying for the WCT than the Trestles event, but opted to stay home after returning late last week from a contest in South Africa.
“My uncle lives right here,” he said, pointing to the bluff-top homes just north of the contest area.
Anthony Petruso of Malibu, Chris Waring of Seal Beach and Adam Virs of Ventura also advanced to the quarterfinals, assuring their highest point total from a WQS event.
Petruso, 25, has lived his entire life in Malibu, where he has encountered plenty of famous people, but none who were touring professional surfers.
“It’s mostly longboarders and people just surfing for fun,” he said. “It’s kind of hard, without many people to push you.”
Petruso had plenty of competition in his heat Friday, including Damien Hobgood of Satellite Beach, Fla., who is currently ranked 13th on the WCT. In the closest heat of the event, Petruso shot into second place with about three minutes remaining and held onto the final qualifying spot.
Hobgood finished fourth with a best two-wave score of 12.27 points, less than a point from heat winner Ian Walsh of Maui. Also eliminated in the Round of 32 was the event’s defending champion, Dustin Cuizon of Oahu.
The WCT members still in contention are Gabe Kling of St. Augustine, Fla., Dayyan Neve of Australia and Hobgood’s twin brother, C.J.
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