Damo Hobgood and Yadin Nicol, Post-Final at Margaret River, WA

Damien Hobgood won the Telstra Drug Aware Pro on Saturday. Jumping the gun in the final proved fruitful for Damo – he racked up two scoring waves straight outta the gate, while West-Australian Yadin Nicol opted to wait for a bigger wave – which never came. Damo’s two sixes where enough to put him in front. The pair have been working together on Globe’s new film, 0000 (pronounced ‘Year Zero’) all year and are good pals. It was the best result of Yades’ career so far and boosted him 30 spots on the ASP world rankings, seating him just outside the mid-year top-32 chop. Damo, on the other hand, earned 6,500 ratings points (as well as US$40k), moving him to 10th position in the rankings. Under the ASP’s new system, surfer’s hold results for exactly one year. With the Rip Curl Pro, Bells Beach, taking place later on the calendar in 2011 than it did in 2010, WT surfers will lose the points they gained at the event last year and will, as of yesterday until the event is held again, slip down in the ratings beneath those who placed well in the Telstra Drug Aware Pro and/or the Hang Loose Pro, Noronha. Photog Ryan Miller, who shot this post-final moment, said that following the victory, he and Damo headed to Yadin’s buddy’s house for a party. “How rad is that shit, that Yadin invites us out to his runner-up party?” Miller asked. Pretty damn rad, we answered.