Miguel Pupo

In addition to the $40,000 prize check and 14-carat solid gold trophy worth $30,000, Pupo earned 6,500 valuable points towards his ASP World Ranking, which helps his campaign towards qualification for the elite ASP World Tour. Gudauskas’ runner-up finish earned him $20,000 and 5,200 points.

Pupo, who was trailing Gudauskas throughout the first half of the Final, got the best of a crucial exchange by taking the heat’s highest single-wave score of an 8.33 for a steep left that offered several turns which the talented Brazilian completed with an air-reverse on the inside. Pupo found a back up score of a 5.30 on his last wave to secure the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro victory.

“I’m just so happy to win this event and I’m sorry that I took out the town’s local guy,” Pupo said. “I knew there was going to be a Brazilian in the Final. I was just trying to be that Brazilian and I can’t believe I won. I’m just so happy. I brought my father here and it’s the first time he’s gone to a contest with me and things just went my way.”

Miguel Pupo tasting the win...and the gold

The progressive Brazilian, who was sitting in 42 on the men’s ASP World Ranking, will catapult up the standings with the win and substantially increase his chances of achieving his dream of qualifying for the elite ASP World Tour.

“I was thinking just about the points when I first got here, and this is great to win this event going into the next PRIME in Brazil,” Pupo said. “It’s my dream to make the World Tour and these points will help.”

Gudauskas, who was in need of a 6.50 to overtake Pupo for the victory, caught a last-minute wave in the Final on a lefthander and earned a 6.07, to nearly overtake Pupo for the win in front of his hometown crowd.

Keanu Asing taking in his victory

“Miguel ripped and it makes it exciting when it’s a close Final,” Gudauskas said. “Congratulations to him, it’s been a fun week.”

Gudauskas, who had just returned to the water after six weeks from an ankle injury, entered the event with no expectations and surprised by the result.

“This week has just been classic,” Gudauskas said. “It has been a blur. I am just coming off of an ankle injury and wasn’t expecting anything and I just started making heats and then I was in the final.”

Keanu Asing struggled to find a rhythm in the action packed Oakley Pro Junior Final against defending ASP World Junior Champion Jack Freestone (AUS), 19, current ASP North America Pro Junior Series leader Kolohe Andino (San Clemente, CA), 17, and 2009 ASP North America Pro Junior Series Champion Nat Young (Santa Cruz, CA), 19. However, he locked into a left just before the buzzer, linking a series of critical backside turns for an 8-point ride which proved enough to take the Oakley Pro Junior victory, $5,000 paycheck and 2000 ASP points. The Oakley Pro Junior’s ASP 5-Star status offered the most points on offer towards surfers’ campaigns towards qualification for the prestigious ASP World Junior Tour.

Keanu Asing

“I don’t really know, I was so down in that Final and was just trying to put on a good performance because there are a lot of people on the beach,” Asing said. “I got that one set and got an 8. I needed a 4 and was hoping I would get a wave and as I was paddling I asked Nat (Young) which wave he was going to go and he said he wasn’t going. I’m just glad I got that little wave at a clutch time in the heat, Mother Nature and God gave that one to me.”

Asing, who now sits at No. 2 on the ASP North America Pro Junior Series rankings, was quick to admit that the prestigious Oakley Pro Junior marked a pinnacle moment in his budding career.

“This is huge, to win this big event. It’s a 5-Star, it’s one of the biggest wins of my career for sure,” Asing said. “I’m at a loss for words right now, I’m just so excited and so happy.”

Caio Ibelli earned $1,000 for winning Most Valuable Performance for a maneuver he executed earlier in the competition. Each day, three surfers were nominated and voted on online. Ibilli secured the final win over Dane Reynolds, Kolohe Andino and Miguel Pupo.

Re-broadcasts of Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro and Oakley Pro Junior action will be televised in Hawaii on Oceanic Time Warner Cable’s Channel 250 and 1250HD, as well as, Time Warner Cable’s Los Angeles (Channel 101), San Diego (Channel 411) and Desert Cities (Channel 111) markets.

For Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro highlights, visit nike6lowerspro.com and for Oakley Pro Junior, visit oakleyprojunior.com.

The Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro and Oakley Pro Junior wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of sponsors. A special thank you goes out to presenting sponsors Nike 6.0 and Oakley, co-sponsors Red Bull and Sierra Nevada, media sponsor SURFER Magazine (Surfermag.com) and official forecaster Surfline.com.

Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro Final Results:

1 – Miguel Pupo (BRA) 13.63

2 – Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 13.57

Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro Semifinals Results:

Heat 1: Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 12.03 def. Jesse Mendes (BRA) 11.33

Heat 2: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 16.70 def. Thiago Camarao (BRA) 12.67

Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro Quarterfinals Results:

Heat 1: Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 16.37 def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 11.76

Heat 2: Jesse Mendes (BRA) 11.60 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 8.33

Heat 3: Thiago Camarao (BRA) 14.50 def. Junior Faria (BRA) 11.47

Heat 4: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 15.24 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 14.93

Oakley Pro Junior Final Results:

1 – Keanu Asing (HAW) 13.70

2 – Jack Freestone (AUS) 13.43

3 – Kolohe Andino (USA) 13.30

4 – Nat Young (USA) 11.53

Oakley Pro Junior Semifinals Results:

Heat 1: Kolohe Andino (USA) 12.00, Jack Freestone (USA) 9.73, Dylan Goodale (HAW) 9.37

Heat 2: Nat Young (USA) 14.77, Keanu Asing (HAW) 11.47, Conner Coffin (USA) 10.73, Andrew Doheny (USA) 9.14

Also running today was Round 1 and the Quarterfinals of the ASP 5-Star Oakley Pro Junior, which saw the nation’s finest up-and-coming talent battle a handful of top international surfers.  Stop No. 7 of 9 on the ASP North America Pro Junior Series, the ASP 5-Star Oakley Pro Junior is the highest rated event on this year’s regional series, offering the most points towards surfers’ qualification campaigns for the elite ASP World Junior Tour and a $25,000 prize purse.

Tanner Gudauskas

Thiago Camarao (BRA), 22, launched back to form after a sluggish three-man Round of 12 heat to ignite the day’s top scores with a deadly forehand attack on several Lowers right-handers. The progressive Brazilian wasted little time in his campaign against fellow countryman Willian Cardoso (BRA), 25, by dropping a 7.60 and a 9.33 on his first two rides to secure his position in the Quarterfinals.

“I just did the same thing I’ve been doing and just not over-think the heats,” Camarao said. “I went out there for a surf and the water was so cold. I made the mistake of wearing the wrong suit in my last heat, so I had to change it for this one.”

Camarao will face fellow Brazilian Junior Faria (BRA), 24, in the Quarterfinals.

Tanner Gudauskas (San Clemente, CA), 22, returned to the three-man Round of 12 in strong form by taking a heat victory over ASP Dream Tour campaigner C.J. Hobgood (Melbourne, FL), 31, and dangerous up-and-comer Gabriel Medina (BRA), 17, with powerful backhand surfing on the right-handers on offer at Lowers.

“There was so much going on and nothing was being said at the end of the heat,” Gudauskas said. “For the last five minutes I was in panic mode because I knew Gabriel had that good wave with two airs on it and C.J. got a good right. I was just praying that the momentum wasn’t going to shift out there. I got lucky. I swear I don’t know what I’m doing and these rights come to me.”

The San Clemente powerhouse was happy to avoid surfing in the man-on-man elimination Round of 12 to advance into the Quarterfinals and took a serious approach to the three-man non-elimination round.

“These ones are a great opportunity,” Gudauskas said. “It’s not like it’s life or death, but it’s a great opportunity to bypass that fifth round and go into the Quarters where there are a lot more points. I took it super seriously because I know Gabriel and C.J. are super gnarly and we’re all goofy-foot.”

Gudauskas will face off against Heitor Alves (BRA), 29, in the Quarterfinals.

Miguel Pupo (BRA), 19, took a last-minute victory over fellow Brazilian Thiago Camarao (BRA), and American charger Timmy Reyes (Huntington Beach, CA), 28, in the three-man, non-elimination Round of 12. With only minutes remaining in the heat, the innovative Brazilian launched two airs on a steep Lowers lefthander to notch a 9.10 to overtake Reyes for the lead and secure his position in the Quarterfinals.

Miguel Pupo

“I didn’t really think about it, I was just trying to go big,” Pupo said. “I did that first air and then another good section came so I went for another one and I made it, so I’m happy. I love Lowers. When anyone asks me what the best wave in the world is, I say Trestles. The wave is perfect and I enjoy my time here with the good surf and fun on the beach.”

Pupo will battle fellow Brazilian Jadson Andre (BRA), 21, in their Quarterfinals match up.

Heitor Alves, current No. 22 on the men’s ASP World Ranking, was dominant in the men’s ASP PRIME and Star series events last year and the fit Brazilian moved one step closer to the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro Final by defeating C.J. Hobgood (Melbourne, FL), 31, in the Round of 12 to advance into the Quarterfinals.

“I was on the World Tour for two years before this year and I learned a lot,” Alves said. “Right now, I have a result and I’m on the World Tour again. I learned a lot last year and I gained a lot of experience in the PRIMES and 6-Stars last year and I feel good.”

Kolohe Andino (San Clemente, CA), 17, who is the youngest Quarterfinalist in the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro, was equally impressive in his Oakley Pro Junior Quarterfinals heat today. The innovative regular-footer took top honors over an impressive list of names including defending ASP World Junior Champion Jack Freestone (AUS), 19, and defending regional champion Evan Geiselman (New Smyrna Beach, FL), 17.

“Evan is one of my best friends, so I wish he got through and Jack (Freestone) has been ripping so it was a fun heat,” Andino said. “It was the first time the three of us have surfed against each other. Jack beat me in Bali. He was getting barreled and I was sitting out on the shoulder, so it’s good to get one back on him here.”

The young local talent is the only surfer still in contention for both the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro and Oakley Pro Junior titles, but remained humble in his intentions to win both events.

“I’m not thinking about that at all right now,” Andino said. “I’m just taking it one heat at a time and I’m happy that I’ve made it this far.”

Camarao, Guduaskas and Pupo all executed maneuvers worthy of Most Valuable Performance (MVP) status during the day. A video clip of each will be available to view online at nike6lowerspro.com/mvp-bracket/mvp-most-valuable-performance/. Tomorrow, the surfer with the most Facebook “likes” will earn MVP status and the gold MVP jersey for the day. An MVP will be awarded each day; Dane Reynolds earned the title on day one, Caio Ibilli for day two and Kolohe Andino for day three. Each daily winner will go into a final vote for a chance at $1,000 for the overall win.

Both the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro and Oakley Pro Junior champions will be crowned tomorrow and the day’s action will be webcast LIVE with live video coverage and scoring.

The Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro is being televised live in Hawaii on Oceanic Time Warner Cable’s Channel 250 and 1250HD, and in Time Warner Cable’s Los Angeles (Channel 101), San Diego (Channel 411) and Desert Cities (Channel 111) markets. Additionally, FUEL TV will broadcast live throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

For more information about the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro, visit nike6lowerspro.com. For more about the Oakley Pro Junior, visit oakleyprojunior.com. The Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro and Oakley Pro Junior wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of sponsors. A special thank you goes out to presenting sponsors Nike 6.0 and Oakley, co-sponsors Red Bull and Sierra Nevada, media sponsor SURFER Magazine (Surfermag.com) and official forecaster Surfline.com.

Surfline Forecast Overview for Contest Holding Period: Small Southern Hemisphere southwest swell will continue to offer very contestable surf on Saturday. We’ll also see some small northwest windswell pulse back up slightly. The morning marine layer will also continue, with partial clearing in the afternoon. Wind will remain light.

Surfline Forecast for Fri. May 7th: Small, longer period SW/SSW swell continues with more 3-4’ waves (waist up to chest-shoulder high+). Inconsistent and lully. Small NW windswell pulses up slightly, causing the surf to be a bit more broken up. Light/variable to light southerly wind in the morning, with overcast skies/marine layer. Light SW/W wind builds for the afternoon as skies clear.

Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro Non-Elimination Round of 12 Results:

Heat 1: Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 15.83, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 14.54, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 14.14

Heat 2: Kolohe Andino (USA) 14.70, Jesse Mendes (BRA) 13.70, Heitor Alves (BRA) 10.26

Heat 3: Junior Faria (BRA) 13.20, Willian Cardoso (BRA) 12.50, Jadson Andre (BRA)

Heat 4: Miguel Pupo (BRA) Tim Reyes (USA) 12.80, Thiago Camarao (BRA) 10.80

Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro Elimination Round of 12: Heat 1: Heitor Alves (BRA) 15.60 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 9.23 Heat 2: Jesse Mendes (BRA) 13.53 def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 12.97 Heat 3: Thiago Camarao (BRA) 16.93 def. Willian Cardoso (BRA) 13.57 Heat 4: Jadson Andre (BRA) 15.50 def. Timmy Reyes (USA) 9.33

Oakley Pro Junior Quarterfinals Results:

Heat 1: Dylan Goodale (HAW) 10.77, Tayler Brothers (USA) 9.97, Luke Davis (USA) 9.17, Taylor Thorne (USA) 8.07

Heat 2: Kolohe Andino (USA) 16.10, Jack Freestone (AUS) 14.00, Evan Geiselman (USA) 13.06, Doug Van Mierlo (USA) 9.86

Heat 3: Nat Young (USA) 14.00, Andrew Doheny (USA) 12.53, Dane Zaun (USA) 10.26, Frederico Morais (PRT) 8.63

Heat 4: Keanu Asing (HAW) 12.60, Conner Coffin (USA) 10.63, Victor Done (USA) 10.14, Jacob Halstead (USA) 6.87

Oakley Pro Junior Round of 32 Results:

Heat 3: Evan Geiselman (USA) 13.66, Taylor Thorne (USA) 13.50, Shaun Joubert (ZAF) 12.30, Albee Layer (HAW) 8.27

Heat 4: Kolohe Andino (USA) 15.73 ,Dylan Goodale (HAW) 11.07, Kaito Ohashi (JPN) 10.04, Kaimana Jaquias (HAW) 5.80

Heat 5: Nat Young (USA) 14.56, Victor Done (USA) 11.27, Colin Moran (USA) 8.73, Nick Rupp (USA) 8.63

Heat 6: Andrew Doheny (USA) 11.84, Conner Coffin (USA) 11.17, Dylan Kowalski (USA) 9.74, Ian Crane (USA) 9.67

Heat 7: Keanu Asing (HAW) 7.27, Dane Zaun (USA) 6.83, Chase Wilson (USA) 6.34, Balaram Stack (USA) 6.07

Heat 8: Jake Halstead (USA) 14.04, Fredirico Morias (PRT) 13.63, Caio Ibelli (BRA) 13.00, Nathan Carvalho (HAW) 10.43

Kolohe Andino and Jadson Andre were among the headline performers on Day Three of the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro. As expected, the youth movement is making a huge push in the clean conditions with their wide array of acrobatic moves.