What a day for two Hawaii surfers.
Dusty Payne and Benji Brand were the only two of 32 competitors who earned their way into the Billabong Pipe Masters as wild cards after their showing in the Pipeline Invitational on Friday at Ehukai Beach.
Lahaina’s Payne surfed to victory in the Pipeline Invitational, which is considered a trials event leading to the main competition. Haleiwa’s Brand placed second in the four-man final to also make the 36-man main-event field in the World Surf League championship tour finale.
“I’m excited to be in the Pipe Masters,” Payne said. “It’s an event every kid growing up in Hawaii who’s a surfer dreams about. It’s just a blessing to be here. Had a great day surfing with Benji and all the guys, Seth (Moniz) and Jack (Robinson). Everybody out there was ripping. I’m just super grateful the WSL gave us this opportunity.”
BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS
First-round matchups
Heat 1: Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Jeremy Flores (FRA), Jadson Andre (BRA)
Heat 2: Owen Wright (AUS), Kanoa Igarashi (USA), Josh Kerr (AUS)
Heat 3: Julian Wilson (AUS), Conner Coffin (USA), Stuart Kennedy (AUS)
Heat 4: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Bede Durbidge (AUS), Ethan Ewing (AUS)
Heat 5: Gabriel Medina (BRA), Miguel Pupo (BRA), Benji Brand (HAW)
Heat 6: John John Florence (HAW), Wiggolly Dantas (BRA), Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 7: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Caio Ibelli (BRA), Jack Freestone (AUS)
Heat 8: Kolohe Andino (USA), Joan Duru (FRA), Kelly Slater (USA)
Heat 9: Filipe Toledo (BRA), Michel Bourez (PYF), Ezekiel Lau (HAW)
Heat 10: Sebastian Zietz (HAW), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Ian Gouveia (BRA)
Heat 11: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Connor O’Leary (AUS), Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA)
Heat 12: Mick Fanning (AUS), Frederico Morais (PRT), Italo Ferreira (BRA)
Hawaii’s Moniz finished third and Australia’s Robinson fourth in the 6- to 8-foot waves.
Payne’s next assignment is not an easy one. When competition resumes in the first round of the Pipe Masters, Payne will be facing world No. 1 John John Florence and Brazil’s Wiggolly Dantas. Florence is gunning for his second straight world championship and can get it by winning at Pipe.
Brand also has a tough task in the first round. He’ll be in a heat with world No. 2 Gabriel Medina as well as Medina’s fellow Brazilian Miguel Pupo. Medina is one of four with a world-title shot. The other two are No. 3 Jordy Smith of South Africa and No. 4 Julian Wilson of Australia.
Hana’s Hank Gaskell rode the highest-scoring wave of the day, a 9.0, for a Backdoor barrel that threaded through multiple sections.
“It was a shaky one,” Gaskell said. “I knew I was pretty deep, so I just took off and set my line as fast as I could. I gave a big pump and I fully fell forward and almost gave up and I was on my tip toes. I just luckily managed to land back on my feet with enough balance (with) my foot way on the wrong side of the board, but I recovered. I’m glad it looked good because it felt really, really difficult. I didn’t know how it was going to look.”
Contest officials will make the call this morning on whether the Pipe Masters will begin today. Waves are expected to be 6 to 8 feet again with light, variable winds but increasing and becoming onshore as the day progresses.
