With Kelly Slater, Bede Durbidge and Taj Burrow all knocked out in early rounds, Joel Parkinson advanced to the quarterfinals of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach the clear-cut favorite to win his second event on the ASP World Tour.

With near-perfect conditions and a swell that continued to increase throughout the day, contest organizers decided halfway through the day to move the event to nearby Winkipop, which saw heavy hitters like Joel Parkinson, C.J. Hobgood, Mick Fanning and Jordy Smith advance to the quarterfinals.

“That was a tough heat,” said Parkinson, shortly after knocking out Kai Otton in round three. “Probably one of the toughest I have surfed this year because of the elements. That wind was hard. I had one wave that blew me off the back but there are some good waves out there. My 9.00 was more just a little barrel, it was a really hard wave to surf. You are almost just holding on for dear life because of the wind. I guess I live to fight another day."

Parko's looking more and more like the favorite to win the Rip Curl Pro. “Everyone has talked it up with the hype of Kelly (Slater), Bede (Durbidge) and Taj (Burrow) being knocked out,” said Parkinson. “This isn’t a sprint, it is a marathon so there is no point getting caught up in it. We are still eight events to go and still eight months to go so there is no point in worrying what is happening at this event. Those guys are going to come out more hungry next time.”

Quiksilver slayer Owen Wright couldn't handle an O'Neill-sponsored rider, as Jordy Smith knocked out the wildcard in an exciting heat. “That’s probably the biggest heat I have had nerves-wise this whole event,” said Smith. “I keep getting the wildcards and they are the best guys as they have nothing to lose. I’m stoked to get that out of my way. Owen (Wright) is a great surfer. I kind of just got lucky and had the first wave and that allowed me to control the heat from there."

Photo of Joel Parkinson courtesy of the ASP.

RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH QUARTERFINAL MATCH-UPS:

QF 1: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Joel Parkinson (AUS)
QF 2: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Jordy Smith (ZAF)
QF 3: Adam Robertson (AUS) vs. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW)
QF 4: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)