Winner winner, chicken dinner. Photo: ASP | Cestari
In an all-Australian bout at Supertubes in South Africa, Mick Fanning overcame an ultimately underwhelming effort by childhood friend and fellow Cooly Kid Joel Parkinson to take his second victory of the season by winning the J-Bay Open. The reigning champion tallied up a heat total of 17.00 points at the point break as it offered up grueling double overhead conditions.
Parko got on the board fast, catching a wave right off the buzzer. However, an inescapable closeout on a tight barrel cost him precious points. And to make matters worse for world number two, it seemed patience was a virtue. On the very next wave, Fanning found a double barrel complimented with his telltale carves for a sizable early lead with a near-perfect 9.00.
Fanning took this momentum and replaced Parko as the aggressor, making the most of a smaller wave by playing to two hollow sections. Halfway through the final heat, Fanning had a 17.00 total that he would hold onto for the well-deserved win. Parkinson would finish with 13.60.
