Hot favourite: four-time world champion and current ASP ratings leader Stephanie Gilmore poses with this year’s Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach trophy.

While Fitzgibbons showed great form with the top heat total of the morning (18.84), Enever advanced out of her round one heat for the first time and Wright also won through.

But Bells Beach multiple winner Gilmore was sent into the do-or-die second round after finishing second on a countback in her  heat won by American rising star Lakey Peterson.

Gilmore, who won the opening event of the ASP World Tour on the Gold Coast in February,  must now win her next outing at the annual tournament to stay in the running for this year’s title.

Also winning through this morning was Hawaiian world champion Carissa Moore.

Sydney’s Enever, with a score of 16 out of 20,  claimed the honour of being the first surfer to win a heat at the 2012 Rip Curl Pro with her defeat of New Zealander Paige Hareb and fellow Australian Bec Woods.Prior to competition this morning a minute’s silence was held in memory of Australian surfing legend Michael Peterson on a glorious morning at the Victoria surf spot.

The famous event at Bells Beach is this year being dedicated to Peterson who died last week age 59 of a heart attack…

for the full article go here:

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/other-sport/minutes-silence-for-surf-legend-michael-peterson-at-bells-beach-before-laura-enever-wins-first-heat-in-womens-event/story-fn34oii8-1226317318836