Aussie wild-card George Pittar relishing wild ride to the Margaret River Pro quarterfinals in his second event

Australian wild-card George Pittar is through to the quarterfinals in just his second championship tour start after upsetting compatriot Liam O’Brien in their Margaret River Pro round of 16 heat.

Pittar, 21, upstaged his more experienced opponent in 2-4ft conditions at Main Break on Friday, opening with an excellent 9.00 wave despite falling on his final manoeuvre and backing it up with a solid 6.90 in the closing stages to advance to take on world No.1 Griffin Colapinto in the next round.

Despite not being a full-time member of the World Surf League’s elite tour and having only got his first start a fortnight ago at Bells Beach where he finished 17th, Pittar ripped three massive turns off the lip before losing his balance on the finish, a jumped out to a big early lead.

“Far out, I can’t even believe what’s going on really, the waves just keep popping up and I’m in the spot,” Pittar said after his 15.90 to 8.84 win.

“Definitely a few mistakes in that heat falling on the end sections but I feel like I’ve been making good decisions on the waves. It just feels good to put a few heats together on this level and keep the ball rolling. It’s pretty crazy that I’m in a quarterfinal, I’m tripping.”

Pittar, who grew up in Vanuatu before moving to Manly when he was 11, said he had come to Margaret River with a clear mind and not facing the mid-season cut like other surfers on the tour.

“I feel like it’s easier coming into this event with less pressure,” he said. “Everyone is having to worry about the cut and they just have so much on the line and me I’m paddling out there and it’s just experience for me. I’m really enjoying the experience of getting to know this wave and it’s a really fun wave when you get on the right ones.”

Earlier, American Colapinto cruised in the quarterfinals in his match-up against Ramzi Boukhiam but two-time former world champion John John Florence was forced to grind out his victory over Margaret River defending champion Gabriel Medina.

Florence, who has the most excellent scores across his career of any surfer at Main Break, pumped his fists in a rare show of emotion after riding out of his 6.90 final wave inside the closing two minutes with the scores coming through after the buzzer.

“That was quite a stressful heat,” the Hawaiian star said after his 13.90 to 13.67 win over Medina. “He’s one of the best competitive surfers of our time so I was really stoked to get that wave.”

In Friday’s other heat, it was a bittersweet finish as Brazilian Samuel Pupo advanced, staving off the mid-season cut for now, but did so at the expense of elder brother Miguel, who now drops off tour.

“Without him I wouldn’t be where I am now, maybe I wouldn’t be surfing,” an emotional Samuel Pupo said after his 13.10 to 10.10 win over his brother. “(Eliminating) him off tour feels like a loss for me . . . it hurts so much.”

The remainder of the men’s round of 16, which includes local star Jack Robinson and Australia’s world No.2, was put on hold with the next call at 6.45am on Saturday.

Men’s round of 16

HEAT 1: John John Florence (HAW) 13.90 (7.00, 6.90) def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 13.66 (7.83, 5.83)

HEAT 2: Samuel Pupo (BRA) 13.10 (8.00, 5.00) def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 10.10 (5.50, 4.60)

HEAT 3: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 12.07 (6.67, 5.40) def. Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) 8.30 (5.00, 3.30)

HEAT 4: George Pittar (AUS) 15.90 (9.00, 6.90) def. Liam O’Brien (AUS) 8.84 (6.67, 2.17)

HEAT 5: Ethan Ewing (AUS) v Seth Moniz (HAW)

HEAT 6: Jordy Smith (RSA) v Caio Ibelli (BRA)

HEAT 7: Jake Marshall (USA) v Imaikalani deVault (HAW)

HEAT 8: Italo Ferreira (BRA) v Jack Robinson (AUS)