Maestro Masencamp's Maiden Win

CLAIM TO FAME: Adin Masencamp follows up after his popular film Ascension. Photo WSL / Tostee

With many international competitors prevented from attending due to the premature and disastrous red listing of South Africa because of the Covid-19 Omicon variant, it was the Strand local Masencamp who won the 52nd edition of the Ballito Pro presented by O’Neill in clean, offshore 4-5ft surf. KZN beachbreaks are bread and butter to Jordy, so it was kudos for some genetic variety on our local shores that Masencamp emerged the winner.

A win in a WSL Qualifying Series 5,000 event is a career-best result for Masencamp, which gives him a ... it's the biggest result of my life and especially against Jordy Smithmassive boost for the 2021/2022 season and a chance for a spot in the WSL Challenger Series: "It feels amazing. I had a couple of clutch moments where I had to perform under pressure. I worked really hard on my mental strength, nutrition, my surfboards, everything before this event. So for it all to come together, it's the biggest result of my life and especially against Jordy Smith. He is the best surfer to come out of South Africa and beating him was the cherry on top. All I wanted to do was showcase what I can do as a surfer, so I'm really stoked."

For McGillivray, he and Bronte Macaulay (AUS) have been announced as official WSL Replacements for the 2022 Championship Tour season. This means that either surfer will compete if a CT surfer withdraws. The replacements are besides the WSL Wildcards announced for the season, according to the WSL Tours and Competition Team, who have deemed that the WSL Replacement spot will only be available at the first five stops of the season, prior to the mid-season cut. There have been some big changes to surfing's premier surfing tour. Get up to speed here.

COMEBACK TRAIL: The big guy is looking sharp and expects to be ready. Photo WSL / Tostee

In Ballito, Masencamp knew he had to work hard to defeat Smith and posted an excellent 8.17 as his opening ride. Leading the heat halfway through, Smith came out flying for a massive, clean aerial to bank a 9.00. Both surfers only had mid-range scores as a backup, until Masencamp found a wave far down the beach for two powerful turns in the critical part of the wave for a 7.77.

With only three minutes left, Smith was left hunting the lineup for a 6.94. He found a wave in the dying seconds, but it wasn’t enough and he had to settle for second place.

Coming back from injury, Championship Tour (CT) surfer and previous event winner, Jordy Smith (Durban) was in a league of his own. Throughout the event, Smith’s variety in his maneuvers was the point of difference that saw him win every heat until the Finals.

"I had a few good waves, but I kind of struggled throughout the day to find the open face waves, but nevertheless I'm stoked to be back competing," said Smith. When asked about his readiness for the 2022 season, he said he's not there just yet: "I think I have another month or so left but I will be ready when it starts, that's for sure."

JOSHE GOES WILD: Joshe Faulkner was a standout for his wildcard slot. Photo WSL / Tostee

The event was pretty much an all South African affair, with only 26 entries in the opening Round of 48. But it gave the South Africans a leg-up to gain points on the Qualifying Series. The only foreigner was Mozambican neighbour Sung Min Cho.

Needless to say, the quarterfinals were an all South African affair. Jordy Maree (Cape Town) put up a valiant effort against his namesake Smith but could not find the result he needed, while Slade Prestwich (Ballito Bay) defeated Joshe Faulkner (Jeffreys Bay); Eli Beukes defeated Max Elkington (Kommetjie); and Masencamp defeated Shane Sykes (Salt Rock).

Prestwich (Scottburgh) was one of the in-form surfers of the event, scoring some of the biggest rides, which saw him up against Smith in the first semifinal: “It’s a dream to surf against Jordy, especially now, when conditions are just perfect. You know you have to step up your game when you surf against him because the scoring goes up, so you have to perform well.”

The second semifinal was an exhilarating affair between Masencamp and Eli Beukes (Kommetjie), who put everything on the line. Beukes ripped his opening ride to pieces for an excellent 8.17 to put the pressure on Masencamp. However, it was Masencamp’s competitive experience that gave him the edge. Beukes tried hard to land impressive airs but couldn’t complete his rides.

WSL Wildcard Joshe Faulkner (Jeffreys Bay) was one of the standouts on the day in his first-ever QS 5,000 event. In his Quarterfinal clash, Faulkner left everything out there, but couldn’t match a clinical performance from Prestwich. Faulkner’s equal 5th place still gets him 2,500 points on the 2021/2022 WSL Africa QS rankings.

INTO THE FUTURE: The exceptional Eli Beukes is one to watch in coming years. Photo WSL / Tostee

Men's Final Results
Adin Masencamp (ZAF) 15.94 DEF. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.37

Men's Semifinal Results
HEAT 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.50 DEF. Slade Prestwich (ZAF) 15.44
HEAT 2: Adin Masencamp (ZAF) 14.00 DEF. Eli Beukes (ZAF) 12.84

Men's Quarterfinal Results
HEAT 1:Jordy Smith (ZAF) 12.83 DEF. Jordy Maree (ZAF) 11.90
HEAT 2: Slade Prestwich (ZAF) 15.50 DEF. Joshe Faulkner (ZAF) 13.30
HEAT 3: Eli Beukes (ZAF) 12.16 DEF. Max Elkington (ZAF) 7.33
HEAT 4: Adin Masencamp (ZAF) 13.66 DEF. Shane Sykes (ZAF) 13.16