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TRADING PLACES
Fred Patacchia wins 6.0 Lowers Pro; Kai Barger nails Oakley Pro Junior
By:
Mike Cianciulli
Photos: All photos: A.J. Neste
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May 2, 2009
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Last year, Fred Patacchia finished second to Ben Bourgeois at the 6.0 Lowers Pro.
But things were a lot different around Lower Trestles on Saturday.
"I'm taking this check and going to Vegas tonight," Patacchia claimed on the winner's podium. Hell, why not? He's off for Teahupoo Sunday night and has an extra $20K in his pocket. |
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Even though the announcers weren't hyping up the rematch on the loud speakers, Patacchia and Bourgeois knew the road was narrowing towards their showdown. The names were the same, however the scenario was quite different from last year -- Freddy P's currently ranked third on the ASP World Tour, while Benny's enjoying his first year off the grind in over a decade. Plus, Benny's not trying to requalify and Freddy doesn't exactly need the WQS points. No pressure for anyone. Let's dance. "It was in my mind... haunting me," Freddy P admitted. "During the quarters, I was like 'I'll see you in the final' and he's like, 'Yeah, if you make it there.' [laughs] But he's a good friend. We were giggling the whole time." Patacchia found his stride early in the day by dispatching Dusty Payne in the quarters and Tim Boal in the semis. Meanwhile, Benny B's win over a red-hot Adriano DeSouza placed him against hometown hero Nate Yeomans in the semis. "Nate had the whole town backing him on the beach. I felt like I was in a six-star in Brazil surfing against a Brazilian," Bourgeois joked of Yeomans' cheering section. "That was a pretty big heat though." "During the quarters, I was like 'I'll see you in the final' and he's like, 'Yeah, if you make it there.'"
-- Freddy P, anticipating his rematch with Benny B.
But it turned out to be a day for the Hawaiians. Just minutes before Freddy P opened up the final with a nine-pointer, Maui powerbroker Kai Barger was hoisted up the sand after comboing the entire field in the Oakley Pro Junior final. "Kai looked electric out there," Patacchia noted. "He actually inspired me to go right even though I wanted to go left." But the merit in the reigning ASP World Junior Champion's victory is the fact that Barger (and runner up Davey Cathels) earned a berth to the Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge in Bali. "Qualifying for Bali is what I'm most stoked about," Barger said before heading up to the podium. "That's the best event on the planet. I'm so stoked. I can't believe I'm going back!" However, it wasn't exactly handed over to him. As the wind died and overhead sets began rumbling through SoCal's most rippable A-frame, every surfer except Barger had an eight-point ride. "I had to scramble," Barger admitted. "Everyone started with an eight and then I clicked into animal mode. On my right, I just looked at the lip and slammed it." A series of vicious, beyond vertical blasts earned the husky goofyfooter a 9.77. But he didn't stop there. Barger left his heatmates scrambling for second place, throwing away a score of 8.33. For Freddy P, it was a matter of opening up with a 9.17 and holding on to the lead while holding off a blazing Benny B. And when the dust finally settled, a pair of beer/Red Bull drenched Hawaiian flags waved on the podium. 6.0 Lowers Pro Final: 1 - Fred Patacchia (HAW)16.84 2 - Ben Bourgeois (USA) 14.10 6.0 Lowers Pro Semifinals Results: Heat 1: Fred Patacchia (HAW) 13.17 def. Tim Boal (FRA) 7.60 Heat 2: Ben Bourgeois (USA) 15.80 def. Nathan Yeomans (USA) 14.66 6.0 Lowers Pro Quarterfinals Results: Heat 1: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 15.00 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 8.83 Heat 2: Tim Boal (FRA) 14.96 def. Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 11.94 Heat 3: Ben Bourgeois (USA) 15.77 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.67 Heat 4: Nathan Yeomans (USA) 16.50 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) Oakley Pro Junior Final: 1 - Kai Barger (HAW) 18.60 2 - Davey Cathels (AUS) 16.13 3 - Dillon Perillo (USA) 15.94 4 - Kiron Jabour (HAW) 15.33 MORE SURF NEWS SURFLINE HOME PAGE |