With a new swell filling in and heavy hitters on tap today things should start getting interesting at the Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing. Though competition started all the way back on Saturday with some Pro Junior's and Women's prelims, today the WQS 6-Star main event reaches the Round of 96, where a throng of current and former world champions will do battle with several former US Open champions and a long list of up-and-comers. With $100,000 going to this year's winner, the largest prize ever in pro surfing, even tour veterans will be finding a little extra motivation.

Some of the more interesting plot lines are outlined in this breakdown...


WQS full timers certainly have their work cut out for them with the likes of Slater, Hobgodd, Irons, Fanning and Machado on hand. And there is a lot at stake for several American hopefuls, including home boy Brett Simpson, who is desperately trying to avoid a repeat of last year's slide down the rankings. While currently rated 9th on the WQS, he's on very slippery ground with several events to go. A nice defense of his home turf is necessary before he heads off to Europe.

Tanner and Patrick Gudauskas, on the other hand, will try to keep their recent momentum going. They've just returned from enormously successful campaigns in the Maldives and South Africa, where both surfed their way into the finals. Tanner's win at the Mr. Price Pro shot him all the way up the the number 6-slot in the WQS, while Pat's runner up finish in the Maldives has him sitting just ahead of Simpson in the 8th spot. Meanwhile Dusty Payne, Austin Ware and Nate Yeomans are all bunched together in the 11, 12 and 13 spots respectively.

Simpson and Tanner Gudauskas are both in the second heat of today's round. Nate Yeomans faces top ranked Jadson Andre in his heat. Pat Gudauskas has drawn former event champion Cory Lopez among others while Austin Ware faces a stacked heat with Eric Geiselman, Australia's Daniel Ross, and the battle hardened Luke Munro. As for Dusty Payne, he'll face his buddy Granger Larson and Australian standout Adam Melling.

Stay tuned for more...

The Gudauskas brothers have been on a serious tear lately. Last month Pat Gudauskas made the final of the 6-Star Prime Sri LankanAirlines Pro in the Maldives, vaulting him up into the Top 10 of the WQS ladder. Along the way, he pulled the first ever rodeo clown in competition. Apparently, Pat's breakthrough performance had quite the impression on his brother Tanner, who responded this week by winning the 6-Star Mr. Price Pro, held at Bellito Beach in South Africa. The win, which is by far the biggest of his career to date, came on the heals of his 21st birthday.



"I've been going to bed dreaming about winning this contest and putting myself up there where Pat was at," Tanner said afterward. "And it came through for me so I'm fired up." The win over Australian James Wood has lifted Tanner all the way past his brother Pat (ranked 10th), as well as fellow American Brett Simpson (ranked 7th), to the number 6 slot on the WQS, making him the highest rated American. Gudauskas said he felt like he could take advantage of the deteriorating conditions in the waning days of the Mr. Price Pro, which early on in the week, scored epic 8-to-10-foot surf.

"I just got into this mindset that as the surf got worse, I'd do better," said Gudauskas, who was still in a bit of shock after his personal best. "When I came out of the water and I saw my brothers and some of my friends all standing on the beach cheering for me I was almost in tears...We have a really strong crew from America right now and we're all pushing as hard as we can to bust down the door and make the ASP world tour, and I think this could be the year."

The Amercians still have a busy month ahead of them, traveling to 6-Star events in Portugal and Brazil before returning home to defend their home turf this month at the US Open of Surfing in Hungtington Beach. More highlights coming soon.