ONCE Brazilian Michael Rodrigues had dropped out in the third round of the Ballito Pro by Billabong, it was smooth sailing for eventual winner Alejo Muniz to take the title.
Rodrigues was the only surfer of the contest to achieve a perfect 10 in trying conditions with waves hardly reaching more than two metres.
It was, however, consistency by Muniz which saw him pocket the 10 000 qualifying points and R500 000 in prize money.
The win also solidifies his number one position on the World Surf League Qualifying Series ratings board and puts him in a very good position to re-qualify for the Samsung Galaxy World Tour.
Second-placed Davey Cathels (Autralia) earned 8 000 qualifying points and R250 000 in prize money.
It has also seen him move up the World Surf League Qualifying Series rankings board for the second half of the year.
Rodrigues did at least win R25 000 for the Monster Energy Wave of the Week presented by Zigzag for his perfect 10.
