Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 27 October, 2009 : - - Australian surfer Garrett Parkes (Byron Bay, NSW, Aus) has taken out the Billabong Cloud 9 Invitational in the Philippines today, beating Hawaiian Makua Rothman in a man-on-man final.
Cloud 9 didn’t quite turn on the epic conditions seen for the opening rounds of the unique, specialty event, with finalists having to mix innovative, new-school manoeuvres with aerials, on-rail carves and barrel rides in rising 3-4ft (1-1.5 metre) waves.
Parkes, who stitched up the Gold Coast’s Joel Nantes (Coolangatta) in the quarters before taking down local Carlito Nogalo in the semis, made the most of the smaller conditions to bag two mid-range scores – a 5.50 and a 4.67- in the extended 35 minute final.
“It wasn’t exactly the real cloud 9, not many barrels,” said Parkes, who collected USD $7,500 for the win. “But I made do with what I had. I managed to get through a few heats this morning and just keep it going through to the final. I’m stoked.”
Parkes, who was a standout throughout the entire event, said he wasn’t fazed entering the final after Rothman beat event favourite and former pipeline master Jamie O’Brien in semi one. “I was trying not to think about,” he said. “I just knew I had to get a few scores on the board. It got to the 5 or 6 minute mark and I got a little nervous. But he ended up coming in a minute early so I knew I had it.”
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