Call it pressure, call it nerves, call it bad luck, but a three-peat for reigning US Open Champion Brett Simpson was not in the script today.

His first round heat hit the water at 10:53 Am sharp, after a brief fog delay earlier in the morning. The swell has dropped a touch from yesterday, relegating much of the action to the shoredump zone of Huntington Pier.

Brett Simpson has won this event for the last 2 years running, claiming $200,000 in all, and the prime rating points that have vaulted him onto the World Championship tour, all right here in his backyard.

The word 'three-peat' had been uttered quite a bit around Huntington Beach this week.

The 3 surfers looking to stop Brett's run before it began were Brazilian Thiago 'shrimpy' Camarao, Hawaiian phenom John John Florence, and Australian youngster Davey Cathels.

Brett admittedly made a few errors in the tricky conditions, which would ultimately be his undoing. He was able to put together a couple mid range 4s, leaving him needing a 6.66 to move up into an advancing position with 3 minutes left in the 30 minute affair. Brett was able to connect the dots on a outside peak into the shorebreak. Breaths were held. 6.07

Ouch. The hometown boy would not get the hometown call.

Brett's beloved pier bowl would not give him another opportunity as the time expired. Better luck next year.

Round one was completed this morning, and the first 4 heats of round 2 were completed this afternoon.

Round 2 will be back in the the water tomorrow at 7:30 am.

More than 40,000 watched Hungtington Beach's favorite son, Brett Simpson, defend his US Open Championship on Sunday by winning for the second year in a row. Simpson defeated the current ASP tour leader Jordy Smith in the final, which was plagued by small surf and a high tide.

Simpson dominated his home break, and its' clear that local knowledge paid off. Even Smith is nearly a local now. Though he's from South Africa he's been residing just down the road in Newport Beach for more than a year. So yes, for those keeping track of the statistical trivia, the two US Open of Surfing finalists live closer to the H.B. Pier than any of their fellow competitors on the World Champion Tour.

The victory for Simpson is even bigger than his victory last year. By going back-to-back, he joins elite surfing company. Only legends like Mark Occhilupo and Tom Curren have done the same in Hungtington Beach.

But while Brett's back-to-back victory will own the headlines, the week long festival was filled with compelling subplots.

The sheer number of revelations that have come to light over the past week are, when summed up, the larger story of the US Open of Surfing. Here are a handful of them...

• The Brazilian contingent is stronger than ever: Jadson Andre, Miguel Pupo, Gabriel Medina, and Alejo Muniz took Huntington by storm this week. Muniz would have won the Pro Junior final if not for a controversial interference call that handed Evan Geiselman his victory. That Muniz finished second despite the call was a pretty solid shot over the bow to media darlings Kolohe Andino and Geiselman. 23-year-old Brazilian tour "veteran" Adriano de Souza is likely to have a handful of wingman out on the world tour soon enough.

• Beachbreaks really do belong on the tour schedule: The Huntington beachbreak is easy to hate. And many pros love to hate it. But some of the most inspiring high-performance surfing of the year took place this week in what was ultimately average H.B. surf. While this place will never be mistaken for J-Bay, Snapper or Teahupoo, it's contribution to surfing is massive. Not because of the huge crowds and even larger branding dollars, but because the most exciting above-the-lip progression is happening in beachbreaks...and that kind of surfing needs to be seen.

• Surfers need flight plans: Aerial surfing has reached new heights this year, thanks in large part to the prior two points: beachbreaks and Brazilians like Jadson Andre. While Dane Reynolds, Jordy Smith and Owen Wright have long been leading that charge too, it was Andre's victory in Brasil earlier this year raised the bar in two crucial areas: altitude and averages. As a result of that victory, there are more crazy aerials being launched and landed today than ever before. We saw a lot of that this week in Huntington.

• The Pro Juniors deserve their bright lights: Two-time world champion Barton Lynch wasn't lying when he said the Pro Junior final was more exciting than most of the open division competition on Sunday. The young guns were handling the deteriorating conditions well, keeping the energy up along with their altitude. There's little doubt that all four finalist are going to be giant killers.

• Prime events rule: The ASP's huge ranking shakeup this year has added a lot more significance to Prime events like The Open, and the biggest benefactors are the hardcore surfing fans. The collection of talent from top-to-bottom this year was arguably better than any other in history. From Kelly Slater to Kolohe Andino (and even Carissa Moore) the talent was spread far, wide and deep. Having more quality surfers to watch is never a bad thing. Prime events prove it.

• About those boards: One of the most encouraging things to see at this year's Open was a wider collection of influential surfers paying more mind to their boards. Slater, of course, has been on his design kick for a while. He continues to want to push his four-fins into the lineup, but is more prudent than before. Dane Reynold's has finally discovered the hidden benefits of the wider tail. His chopped tails are an easy solution for speed bursts. And if you watched Julian Wilson dominate the expression session than you saw him do it on what looked like a kneeboard.

• Kelly is a class act: OK, we knew that already. But Slater is genuinely having fun doing what he's doing. The US Open of Surfing was probably one of the more demanding weeks of the year for Slater, who can barely move in Surf City without being accosted by fans. Like a true peoples champion he takes it in stride. While Slater's peers have learned a lot from his surfing, they can learn a lot more by trying to emulate his attitude.

• Jordy plans on sticking around: Another finals appearance by Smith shouldn't be lost on anyone. While he's certainly not a favorite heading to Tahiti, where Slater reigns supreme, he's not likely to crumble easy. Smith is finally on solid ground. He's by far Slater's biggest threat to a tenth world title. The fact that this 200-pounder can make a final at crumbly Hungtington has us thinking there may be nothing at all stopping him from doing the same in Tahiti.

Brett Simpson picked the wrong year to be an ASP rookie. The major ASP changes being implemented this year have given him little time to relax and settle in. After a decent showing at Jeffreys Bay Simpson now finds himself tied in the 24th position in the ASP rankings with just one event left to go before the field gets hacked from 48 surfers down to to 32.

While he's safe for now, a bad result in Teahupoo could easily land him on the outside looking in. So it's about as good as time as any to be heading back home to Huntington Beach where he'll begin defending his 2009 Hurley US Open of Surfing championship early next month.

Simpson, like a lot of guys in his position, are surfing the US Open because they have to in order to protect their ASP World Ranking. The World Ranking is their hedge against any poor performance on the World Championship ranking. Come December, when the season ends and a champion is crowned, the Top 22 on the World Championship tour ranking will make the cut for the 2011 World Championship Tour. Then remaining 10 slots will come from the new World Rankings.

Then in 2011, the World Championship Tour deck will be reshuffled after every three or four events (depending on the TBD tour schedule) using only the World Rankings. If a surfer falls out of the Top 32, they lose their spot. But they can just as easily get back in by way of performing in the Prime events, like the Hurley US Open of Surfing.

The stakes are high, which means the surfing level should be even higher this year. Simpson is coming in with very fond memories of his victory last year (see video). Rest assured he'll be mounting a strong defense of his home turf.

Day three of the Billabong Pro at J-Bay was another beauty, and a storybook one for the country of South Africa with Jordy Smith taking over the ASP ratings lead thanks to his buddy Sean Holmes, who is officially the most lethal wild card in ASP history now. On Saturday Holmes knocked out Kelly Slater and Andy Irons, clearing the path for Smith to take over.

All the highlights below starting with a quick wrap up package here. Followed by each of the Round Four heats.


The first big upset of the day was Sean Holmes beating 9-time world champion and current tour leader Kelly Slater. It was a wave starved heat, and Holmes, the ultimate J-Bay chess player, played his board just right to slip away with the win.


Damien Hobgood beat Mick Fanning, proving once again that he's one of the best backsiders around at Jeffreys. It couldn't have come at a better time for Hobgood, who's been struggling a bit of late. He entered J-Bay sitting in the 23 slot, dangerously close to the cutoff. Meanwhile, Mick has yet to find his world champion form.


Dane Reynolds beats Brett Simpson, ending Brett's best run so far this season. Brett looked like he was going to put up a fight early, but Dane motivated and turned in a solid performance.


Taj Burrow beats Tiago Pires, looking incredibly sharp on his equipment. Taj seems to be accelerating from 0 to 60 faster than anyone, and it's paying off for him. Taj is now nipping right at Jordy's heels.


Sean Holmes beat Andy Irons for the fourth time at J-Bay, just a few hours after sending Kelly Slater packing. Andy was livid after a water photographer got a little too close. If he can bottle the anger his comeback will get even more traction.


Bede Durbidge beat Matt Wilkinson, ending Wilko's best run so far in 2010. Wilko looked solid in his earlier rounds but the unshakable Durbidge was all business.


Jordy Smith beat Owen Wright in what was arguably one of the best fought heats of the round. Both surfers were in top form entering the heat, making it one of the most anticipated match ups of the event. They didn't disappoint either.


Adriano de Souza beat Ace Buchan in a slow moving heat that was a bit wave starved.

It's hard to fathom Taylor Knox taking an early loss at Jeffreys Bay. The world's famous righthander is perfectly suited for Mr. Knox-- Supers is Taylor made for Knox (sorry).

Yet if you've been to J-Bay, or even watched it long enough, you know that the small three-to-four foot days are by far the most dangerous to bet on any favorites.

While watching the edited down version of events (see vid) it looks, by any standard, like another perfect day in Jeffreys Bay heaven. Yet day two of the Billabong Pro was actually a struggle. Long lulls persisted throughout the day as Wedensday's swell faded. Two heats had to be restarted because neither surfer rode a wave during the first 10 minutes of the heat. That should give you a sense of how painfully long the lulls were.

And while J-Bay is an epic wave when it's over six feet. Anything under that -- glassy or not -- is a roll of the dice. You get very few opportunities to make your case, so you better pick the right ones and execute properly.



Unfortunately for Taylor Knox he had problems with both, and suffered an early round exit at the hands of France's Joan Duru.

Taylor wasn't alone. CJ Hobgood went down to last-minute entry Timmy Reyes, who's in J-Bay filling in for the injured Joel Parkinson. Both Reyes and Hobgood have been suffering from confidence issues of late. Reyes' is understandable. The guy's had a rough couple years on the competitive circuit. Injuries have hampered Tim, who's not all that convinced he shouldn't be doing the whole Greg Long thing.

Hobgood, meanwhile, is working through basic equipment issues. It sounds simple. But most pros today expect magic boards to send tingles up their legs on wave one. If it doesn't happen they freak. Back in the real world, however, they're all talented enough to make the worst board in Derek Hynd's J-Bay quiver work well. Let me break it down this way: Nobody loses because of an extra eighth-inch of foam under their feet.

Both Knox and Hobgood should be OK and survive the ASP's pending chop down. They both entered Jeffreys in the Top 20 but are likely to fall out of it depending on who does what. Damien Hobgood, Andy Irons, Dusty Payne and Brett Simpson are among those giving chase.

Meanwhile, it's starting to look like Ian Cairns pre-event prediction of an Owen Wright breakout is a likely reality. Owen came into this season with plenty of fanfare after his multiple Slater bashes last year. Though he hasn't lit the world on fire yet in 2010, he is sitting at number 11 in the ratings--which puts him on Rookie of the Year pace.

Wright's backhand attack is the perfect fit for Jeffreys. His tall lanky frame gives him all the leverage he needs to get down the line and crack the lip in a hurry. Whereas most guys are fighting to get from point point A to point B, Wright is actually throwing some authoritative blow tails in between.

His California counterparts, on the other hand, are fighting for survival. Brett Simpson survived a challenge from Jeremy Flores today--looking solid. Nate Yeomans advanced directly into Round Three after his first heat win, but had the misfortune of running into Jordy Smith there, where his run ended.

All told it's been a solid two days of surfing, and with more bumps on the horizon things should get even more interesting, especially with Wild Card Sean Holmes facing Kelly Slater in the next round.

Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay Remaining Round 2 Results:

Heat 3: Sean Holmes (ZAF) 13.50 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 11.07
Heat 4: Joan Duru (FRA) 13.83 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 11.50
Heat 5: Tim Reyes (USA) 13.34 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 13.23
Heat 6: Michel Bourez (PYF) 11.86 def. Blake Thornton (AUS) 11.50
Heat 7: Damien Hobgood (USA) 15.04 def. Marco Polo (BRA) 11.30
Heat 8: Jay Thompson (AUS) 18.33 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 14.47
Heat 9: Neco Padaratz (BRA) 11.36 def. Roy Powers (HAW) 10.93
Heat 10: Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 15.03 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 9.00
Heat 11: Brett Simpson (USA) 15.40 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 11.26
Heat 12: Dusty Payne (HAW) 12.83 def. Daniel Ross (AUS) 11.37
Heat 13: Luke Stedman (AUS) 14.14 def. Drew Courtney (AUS) 12.93
Heat 14: Travis Logie (ZAF) 13.60 def. Luke Munro (AUS) 12.00
Heat 15: Ben Dunn (AUS) 16.33 def. Pat Gudauskas (USA) 9.83
Heat 16: Dean Morrison (AUS) 15.84 def. Mick Campbell (AUS) 9.03

Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay Round 3 Results:

Heat 1: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 16.67 def. Jay Thompson (AUS) 9.27
Heat 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 12.27 def. Travis Logie (ZAF) 11.80
Heat 3: Owen Wright (AUS) 17.00 def. Ben Dunn (AUS) 10.74
Heat 4: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.07 def. Nate Yeomans (USA) 9.10

Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay Remaining Round 3 Match-Ups:

Heat 5: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Tanner Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 6: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 7: Luke Stedman (AUS) vs. Andy Irons (HAW)
Heat 8: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Sean Holmes (ZAF)
Heat 9: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Joan Duru (FRA)
Heat 10: Tiago Pires (PRT) vs. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW)
Heat 11: Dane Reynolds (USA) vs. Neco Padaratz (BRA)
Heat 12: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 13: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Tim Reyes (USA)
Heat 14: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Dean Morrison (AUS)
Heat 15: Bobby Martinez (USA) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 16: Chris Davidson (AUS) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)