Florence withdraws

John John Florence caused nearly as many waves as the swell hitting Alii Beach Park on Thursday.

Florence withdrew from the Reef Hawaiian Pro, the first leg of the Vans Triple Crown, citing a hamstring injury.

Florence, the ASP’s fourth-ranked surfer and a top contender for the Triple Crown title, was supposed to enter as a top seed into the third round on the next day of the event’s competition.

"It’s unfortunate because he’s, obviously, the best surfer in the world right now," Hawaii’s Pancho Sullivan said. "He raises the level of all his peers and it’s especially unfortunate after the roll he’s been on the second half of this year.

"And don’t count him out (of the Triple Crown). He’s one of the few surfers who could win both the World Cup and Pipe (the second and third legs)."

Florence, who suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain according to the medical report, was in world title contention until being mathematically eliminated at the ASP world tour’s previous event in Portugal last month.

Florence has been going through physical therapy and is staying out of the Reef Hawaiian Pro to prevent possible further injury. He might make it back for the Vans World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach or wait until the Billabong Pipe Masters, the world tour’s last stop.

Sullivan, 41, kept the show going for the older guard by winning his heat. He and Sunny Garcia, the 44-year-old six-time Triple Crown winner and former world champ, advanced into the third round.

With his typical power turns, Sullivan had a 9.33, one of the highest-scoring waves of the day in the 6- to 12-foot surf that was considerably smaller and more rippable than Wednesday’s opening round that offered some 15-foot sets.

"I got a nice wall and wanted to push myself with a variety of turns, that’s a big part of the judges’ criteria," Sullivan said. "It was such a blessing to have such perfect waves today at one of the most high-performance breaks in the world."

Waialua’s Kalani David, who is also a competitive skateboarder, scored the highest heat total of the event so far, a 19.43 that included a 9.63, followed by a 9.80 air show.

"There were three minutes left and I needed a 6," David said. "I knew I kinda had it on those turns. Before I paddled back out (competitor) Alex (Smith) asked me, ‘Did you do an air?’ No, but I thought to myself, ‘I should do an air.’ I got nothing to lose. I just went all out and it paid off.

David, 17, made sure to mention his pals on the Waialua Bulldogs surf club at high school and thanked them for their support.

Hawaii’s Ezekiel Lau, Dusty Payne, Joel Centeio and Torrey Meister pushed into the third round by winning their heats. In addition, Hawaii’s Tanner Hendrickson, Kylen Yamakawa and Smith, along with David, surfed into the second round in their first-round morning heats.

Lau ripped for the second day in a row, scoring 18.00 on Thursday after his 18.53 on Wednesday.

Payne snapped off the lip twice with a brutal vertical attack during his win.

Hawaii’s Keanu Asing got a break by being in the right place at the right time. Due to his place in the seedings, he was moved from the second round to the third round to take Florence’s spot. If he continues to advance, Asing has a chance to qualify for next year’s world tour.

Some of surfing’s top names begin their Triple Crown quests during the next day of competition, which, according to organizers, has a 50 percent chance of running Friday. Another swell is forecast for the weekend.

Mick Fanning, the ASP’s second-ranked surfer, along with Hawaii’s Sebastian Zietz and Fred Patacchia, are among the high seeds ready to go in the third round.

Fanning, a three-time world champion, is battling Kelly Slater, an 11-time world titlist, and top-ranked Gabriel Medina of Brazil for the ASP world championship, which will be decided at the Billabong Pipe Masters in December. Slater and Medina won’t be competing until the contest at Pipe.