The Brazilian, who arrived at the Billabong Pro Cascais pres. by Allianz at No. 9 on the QS rankings, went big to take the lead off of Australian Connor O'Leary. He earned a 9.83 for a spin and a series of solid hacks, and went on to win the heat.
While Gouveia's current rank would qualify him for the elite Championship Tour in 2017, there are a handful of huge QS contests left in the season -- which means lots of room for movement. A top result in Cascais could potentially bump the Brazilian up the leaderboard and into a more comfortable position to make the jump.