C.J. Hobgood Wins Billabong Pro Mundaka
Mundaka, Spain (October 4, 2008):
C.J. Hobgood (USA) beat Joel Parkinson (AUS) today to win the 2008 Billabong Pro Mundaka title. The match-up was a battle between a former ASP World Champion and a possible future champ. Hobgood, who has not won an ASP World Tour victory in four years, beat out Parko despite trailing with 15 seconds remaining in the final.
“If I was Joel I would want to kill me right now,” Hobgood said. “I honestly don’t know how that happened. Some things are just meant to be. I’ve had a very difficult year. I probably struggled with my surfing more than I should have, but that’s life. You get older and life throws curve balls at you and that’s what makes this feeling right now so good.”
“Me and Joel were looking at that last wave and he was thinking about it hard,” Hobgood said. “I just made sure he was going to go or I was going to go. I didn’t know there was another one behind it, but I did hear a couple of whistles and turned around and saw the wave. I knew it was my last chance. I put my head down and didn’t even look at the wave and paddled to the shoulder as hard as I could because I didn’t want to get stuck behind it. I saw Joel in the peripheral and just threaded the needle. I could have been a little bit greedier, but I knew if I got a barrel and rode the rest of the wave I’ve have a good chance.”
Parkinson was less than stoked after having so far failed in winning an ASP World Tour event this year.
“That was really frustrating,” Parkinson said. “He got the best waves in that heat and I got the scraps. I was holding on to a thin lead and it slipped away from me as soon as I turned around and saw that last wave coming.”
Check out the video of the 2008 Billabong Pro Mundaka Finals.
For all the videos from the contest, go to 2008 Billabong Pro Mundaka page on FirstStoke.com
Photo: ASP / Covered Images
2008 BILLABONG PRO MUNDAKA FINAL RESULTS
Final: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 18.50 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 15.83
2008 BILLABONG PRO MUNDAKA SEMIFINAL RESULTS
Heat 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 17.80 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 14.50
Heat 2: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 14.66 def. Luke Stedman (AUS) 6.70
2008 BILLABONG PRO MUNDAKA QUARTERFINAL RESULTS
Heat 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 14.34 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 6.17
Heat 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 12.83 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 7.40
Heat 3: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 15.34 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 8.10
Heat 4: Luke Stedman (AUS) 13.16 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 10.24
