GISBORNE-Mahia surfer Ricardo Christie suffered an early exit from the Ballito Pro Qualifying Series 10,000 contest at KawaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
Christie finished fourth in his round-of-96 heat from which the top two advanced. He scored 10.66 (5.83, 4.83) for his two best waves. Brazilian Marcos Correa won the heatwith 13.50.
The final featured two of Christie’s fellow Championship Tour competitors — Brazil’s Deivid Silva beat Australian Jack Freestone.
Christie is back in action this week at the Corona Open J-Bay at Jeffreys Bay — the sixth contest of the CT. He is 28th on the rankings led by Hawaiian John John Florence.
