Hawaiians Dusty Payne and Mason Ho have been granted injury wildcard spots and will compete at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. Mason will sub in for Filipe Toledo who will miss the remainder of the Australian leg after suffering a groin injury at Snapper. Payne will surf in place of Rookie Jack Freestone who according to the WSL suffered a serious leg injury shortly after the Quiksilver Pro.
Adam Melling, Stuart Kennedy, and Sebastian Zietz are all injury replacements confirmed to be competing at Bells, as Owen Wright, Bede Durbidge and Alejo Muniz, continue their recovery.
The replacements will be using another opportunity at Bells to qualify for the CT. “A lot of people forget that Bede Durbidge got on tour as an injury replacemnt and surfed well enough to stay there,” says Stu Kennedy who was finished third at Snapper and taking down Kelly Slater, Gabriel Medina and John John Florence along the way.
Do you remember when Mason Ho defeated then reigning world champion, Gabriel Medina at Bells?
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Round One Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Jeremy Flores, Caio Ibelli, Davey Cathels
Heat 2: Julian Wilson, Stu Kennedy, Adam Melling
Heat 3: Italo Ferreira, Kanoa Igarashi, Dusty Payne
Heat 4: Gabriel Medina, Conner Coffin, TBA
Heat 5: Mick Fanning, Keanu Asing, TBA
Heat 6: Adriano DeSouza, Michel Bourez, TBA
Heat 7: Kelly Slater, Kai Otton, Alex Ribiero
Heat 8: Joel Parkinson, Taj Burrow, Sebastian Zietz
Heat 9: Matt Wilkinson, Kolohe Andino, Miguel Pupo
Heat 10: Nat Young, Adrian Buchan, Ryan Callinan
Heat 11: Josh Kerr, Wiggolly Dantas, Matt Banting
Heat 12: John John Florence, Jordy Smith, Jadson Andre
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach waiting period begins March 24 and runs until April 5
