World #3 (And Man Who Recently Disposed Of John Florence At Margaret River Main Break) Falls In Round 1 Of Snapper Event

Yesterday, the first event of the 2022 Challenger Series kicked off at wavepool-esque Snapper Rocks. The waves were slow, but when they came, golllllly they looked fun.

As mentioned in our pre-event report, 32 of the 55 surfers who started their year on the CT were signed up for Snapper, including the likes of K Slater, S Gilmore, and recent Margaret River Pro winners J Robinson and I Nichols.

Yesterday, 14 of these surfers competed in Men’s Round 1. Most of them advanced. Some of them didn’t. The list of those who lost includes current World #3 and the CT’s most recent victor, Jack Robinson.

We’ve talked before about just how difficult the Challenger Series is, and what an incredible pool of talent it’s fielded from around the world. But the fact that these “second-tier” (WSL’s terminology, not ours) surfers could dispose of the man who just last week defeated John Florence at Margaret River Main Break is nothing short of remarkable.

Round 1 will likely finish up today, with surfers like Kelly Slater, Zeke Lau, and all the ladies ready to wet their whistles. You can watch it here.