Thompson finished third in the final of the six-star prime-rated World Qualifying Series event pushing him from 14th in the ratings to sixth overall, well within the cut for next year’s top tier.

Thompson has been competing on the World Tour this year as an injury wildcard, competing in every event.

But his results have not been good enough so far to guarantee automatic requalification.

“This kind of solidified my campaign for the tour next year, so I’m frothing,” said 27-year-old Thompson.

“This year and last year I’ve been (on the Dream Tour) but I’ve been kind of bogging, so I really wanted to get back there and give it a 100 percent next year.”

Hawaiian local Joel Centeio (14.76) took out the opening event of the prestigious Triple Crown, ahead of former world champion CJ Hobgood (13.74), Thompson (12.17) and Tahitian Alain Riou (5.27)

The upset of the day occurred in the quarter-finals, with the form surfer of the event and Coolangatta world title contender Joel Parkinson, bowing out prematurely.

While the Reef Hawaiian Pro did not count towards the world title race, Parkinson had been the standout, posting the two highest heat scores of the event as well as the only perfect 10-point ride for a deep barrel in the round before the quarters.

Parkinson fell victim to a wave-starved quarter-final, managing just a combined wave score of 9.34 in the heat, which was won by eventual champion Centeio.
Sourced via goldcoast.com.au