Reading the impermanent, shifting sandbanks of La Gravière is a bit like playing Scrabble without any vowels, but Joan Duru showed the wave selection of a true wordsmith today. In the process, he posted the highest total heat score of the day -- 18.00. Hailing from the historic town of Bayonne, located just down the road from Hossegor, the elder statesman of the 2017 Championship Tour rookie class used years of local knowledge to good effect in booming conditions. Entering the Quiksilver Pro France ranked No. 18 on the Jeep Leaderboard, looking good to re-qualify for 2018 via the Championship Tour, Duru is still well within striking distance of the two other rookies currently battling for the Rookie of the Year award -- No. 10 Connor O'Leary and No. 11 Frederico Morais, both of whom were relegated to Round Two on Day 1 at the Quik Pro. Duru, however, jumps directly to Round Three and will look to gain ground on his ROTY competition.
