Quiksilver Pro Quarterfinal Preview

I don’t think anyone expected to see so many big names fall so early in the Quiksilver Pro, and we’ve got an interesting field of surfers remaining in the Quarterfinals. Let’s take a look at the next four heats:

Heat 1 – Filipe Toledo vs. Joel Parkinson: This is a battle of the young guns and the air game vs. the old guard and the rail game. It's the most intriguing heat of the quarterfinals in my opinion, as I could see either of these guys taking home the win in this event. Both Filipe and Parko have won at Snapper before, but Toledo has looked like the best surfer thus far this year. If Parko beats Toledo, I’d consider it an upset at this point. I can’t imagine typing that two years ago.

Heat 2 – Matt Wilkinson vs. Adriano De Souza: Wilko has surfed the minimum amounts of heats at the Quiksilver Pro to this point, and he’s looked really good doing so. However, he gets the reigning World Champ here. De Souza looked to be in trouble early in his Round heat against Connor Coffin, but he battled back in classic Adriano fashion and took home the win. If Wilko can beat De Souza here it could give him some amazing momentum to carry on throughout the season.

Heat 3 – Kolohe Andino vs. Adrian Buchan: Kolohe has looked electric at Snapper thus far, and maybe 2016 is going to be a massive bounce-back campaign for the young Californian. Ace Buchan has looked powerful and aggressive on the Gold Coast this year, though, so he can’t take this heat lightly. Kolohe has more upside in this matchup, but Ace is the more reliable surfer historically. It’s a tough call to choose a favorite here. Both guys have looked impressive.

Kolohe Andino is capable posting huge scores at any time.
Courtesy of Patrick Warren

Heat 4 – John John Florence vs. Stuart Kennedy: This should be a thrill ride of a heat if the guys get good waves coming through the lineup, and maybe even if they don't. John John has looked dynamic and focused in this event, an extremely dangerous combo. He has been tearing apart Snapper this year, drawing creative lines and showcasing his full repertoire. Kennedy, though, has been perhaps the most electric surfer in the event. His board has looked faster and shown more pop than anyone else’s. He’s already posted some huge upsets in the Quiksilver Pro, so who’s to say he doesn’t have another one in him? 

Follow Morgan, founder of Go Left, on Twitter @GoLeftSurf

Preseason Surfer Profile: Adriano De Souza

Leading up to the 2016 World Surf League Championship Tour season, I will be counting down my projected Top 10 surfers for the highest level of men's competitive surfing. A preview of the women's 2016 season is also to come.

Adriano De Souza, Brazil

2016 Go Left World Ranking Projection: 5

2015 World Ranking: 1

2015 WCT Wins: 2

Adriano De Souza is the reigning WCT Champion, so some people may see my projected 2016 rank for him and think I’m disrespecting the Brazilian. It’s not disrespect; I simply think that everything came together at the right time for De Souza in 2015, and I have a hard time seeing it all shake out the same way in 2016. De Souza has quietly been one of the better surfers on tour for probably half a decade now, and he certainly deserved everything he received last season. Consistency was huge for Adriano in 2015, as he never posted a result worse than a 13^th. That’s extremely difficult to do on today’s World Tour, as the competition from top to bottom is better than it has ever been. De Souza avoiding a second-round exit in every event in 2015 is quite the accomplishment in itself.

Adriano De Souza taking flight.
Courtesy of Steven Tyler PJs

To be honest, I was not a huge fan of Adriano for quite some time. His attitude in the water and frequent claims soured me on him a while back, but every time I see an on-camera interview with him he seems like the opposite of the surfer we see in the water. I think it comes to down De Souza being a passionate person and a fiery competitor, not a guy to dislike. 2015 made me come around on him, and now I like to see him do well in events. I also have a lot of respect for the commitment he puts into his craft. The guy basically stalked Jamie O’Brien last year in order to learn the nuances at Pipe, and it paid off big-time.

I would not be surprised to see that I’d underestimated De Souza come season’s end, but I think each of the five surfers I ranked ahead of him have more upside. Adriano could very well place himself in the title race early on yet again and make me look stupid, but I have to go with my gut and rank him sixth. It could be a mistake.

Mick Fanning Leads World Tour Rankings

In 1976, Peter Townend was named surfing's first World Champion. The odd part about that honor being bestowed on Townend was the fact that he didn't win an event that year. However, he surfed the most events and was consistent enough in those contests that the point system used by the then-IPS awarded him the trophy (even if the trophy was a fake). This year, we've got another Townend situation brewing, as Mick Fanning has been the model of consistency this season, reaching at least the quarterfinals of every event this year but failing to win one as of yet. We're at the mid-point of the tour, and Mick owns a narrow lead over Kelly Slater. Reigning World Champ Joel Parkinson, fresh off his dramatic win at Keramas, has catapulted himself into third place in the rankings after some disappointing results earlier in the year. Jordy Smith is currently slated fourth, while Taj Burrow rounds out the Top 5.

Who is the favorite to win the World Title this season? Your guess is as good as mine, as this race feels increasingly tight with every passing event. Nobody is separating themselves from the pack, but again, there are still five events to be surfed. Could Mick keep surfing well but missing out on wins and still take home the title this season? It's possible unless someone really tightens their game and puts up some big results. If I were Fanning, I would be most worried about Kelly and Parko, for rather obvious reasons. Kelly can win any event at any time, and if he decides to flip his killer instinct switch he could run away with this thing before anyone knew what happened. Parko, on the other hand, just got his first win of the season, and in doing so looked like the Parko of 2012. These three guys are the favorites right now in my eyes, though Jordy, Taj and Adriano are definitely in the mix. If you want a dark horse, then I'd go with Nat Young, who is surfing better than ever right now and has shown some serious consistency in his own right this season. Should be a hell of a race.

Jordy Wins in Rio

Jordy Smith has come into this season more mature and more focused after an offseason spent working on his repertoire, and the fruits of his labor are starting to show. The 25-year-old took down Brazil's own Adriano De Souza in the finals of the Billabong Pro Rio on Saturday to take home his first event of the tour season. The win, which followed up a third at Bells, puts Jordy in second place in the world tour standings right now, behind only De Souza, who leads Smith by a measly 250 points.

Adriano came out typically aggressive in the final heat, nabbing some early waves, but Jordy's patience eventually paid off. Smith's exuberance was on display after an 8.50 ride in which he linked together an aerial maneuver and a carving turn in one of the most seamless manners I've ever seen, as the South African was putting on an uncharacteristically big claim. But it may be Ariano's personality in the water that brings out the claims in his competitors. Personally, I'm not of fan of De Souza's attitude out there, but he certainly makes for fiery heats. Jordy put Adirano away for good when he busted a huge air with a grab that netted him a score of better than nine, and that was all she wrote.

One must remember that Smith was a legitimate world title contender in 2010 before struggling a bit the last two seasons. As one of the bigger surfers on tour, his power is unmatched in the water, something that puts him in elite company even among the best in the world. Could this be the year that Jordy breaks through and wins it all?

It's worth noting that Mick Fanning is right behind Adriano and Jordy in the season standings right now, as he's been the Peter Townend of the season through three events, not winning any contests but consistently contending and racking up points.  Thus far in 2013, Fanning has posted finishes of third, fifth and third, so he's in the hunt, as usual. Kelly is currently slated fourth, so as long as he's in striking distance everyone above him will be looking over their shoulders. Rounding out the Top Five is Taj Burrow, who is always near the top of the standings but never actually at the top despite his talent level.

A few other notes include the fact that Gabriel Medina finally had a strong showing this season, posting a third-place finish and showing that he's damn close to healthy if not fully there. He should be back in the title hunt within a few events; he posted a perfect 10 in the quarters that was downright naughty. Nat Young has been surfing really well this season, and he's currently ranked sixth. Reigning champion Joel Parkinson posted his second straight 13th, but it's too early to panic about Parko. Also Ace Buchan has surfed really well the last two events.

Here are highlights from the quarters on: