Week In Waves: The CT's Back, Kevin Shulz Backflips And Italo Don't Know Golf

It's been a long time coming, but the Championship Tour resumed this week with the opening day of the Rip Curl Newcastle Cup presented by Corona. Kicking off in tricky, waist- to chest-high pulses, it was an immediate reminder of what good surfers these men and women are and how fun watching Tour surfing is.

Look no further than Italo Ferreira's mind-blowing stat of riding 17 waves in 30 minutes. That's more than a wave every two minutes. But it's a big world with a lot of ocean, and while our eyeballs have been trained on Newy, from The Wedge to The Cave, there's been all kinds of action going down around the globe. Here are some of our favorites for The Week In Waves:

Italo Don't Know Golf

While it would seem the smart money would be on Italo to run the table at Newcastle, betting on him on the links is probably not the play. As evidence by his YouTube drop this week, the defending World Champ certainly doesn't exactly have that Kelly Slater feel around the greens. Before heading Down Under, Italo spent a couple days in Orange County, picking up boards from shaper Timmy Patterson in San Clemente, skimboarding with Brad Domke in Laguna Beach, and then, for the first time in his life, golfing. His swing could use a little work, but when he does make contact, it's a sight to see. Hopefully he replaced all those divots.

Cola Bros Down Under

The opening scene from the Colapinto brothers' newest "Cola Bros" edit offers a really cool look at how the wildcard process for Crosby went down. In terms of fan access, it's fun to see the nerves and energy of the boys as they wait to hear if The Croz is in or out. And then there's the cameo from Seth Moniz, who's seen playing luggage Tetris and putting his QS years to good use as he straps about 30 boards to the roof of a minivan. All three surfers advanced into the upcoming Round of 32 in Newcastle and we'll see them when the surf pick back up. Until then, here's what they've been up to.

A Glitch In Kevin Schulz's Lone Star Air Game

Another hot drop from a San Clemente native. Back at the BSR Surf Resort in Texas. Back in his floro green suit. Back to blowing minds. Kevin Schulz continues to up the freshwater air game with a tweaked out backflip. Not sure what he's calling this new trick, but on his Insta post he wrote, "Mid-flip glitch last night." Which prompted Kelly Slater to respond, "I think my eyes glitched."

Mason Ho Takes Flight At The Wedge

You know summer in California can't be far off when the pros start showing up at the Wedge in Newport Beach. With a moderate dose of south swell in the water, Mason Ho hopped a flight to the mainland where, like anybody that's paddled out at the Wedge, he got blasted. Thriving off the punishment, Mase says, "This place is a blast!" Prior to his trip to California, him and his sister, Coco, scored some mountain time with a quick trip to Aspen. It was his first time back on a snowboard since he was seven years young. And, of course, he had a blast.

Sweet Home Sunny Coast

Dirt bikes, backside spins and babies, that's how Julian Williams was spending his days before Newcastle got underway. Living the good life at home on the Sunshine Coast, Wilson's been posted up with his beautiful family doing what he loves. Unfortunately, now he's in a bit of a spot as he has to face off against Mikey Wright and Jack Robinson in an upcoming Elimination Round super heat. If he can't figure out a way to get through that one he may end up heading back home much sooner than he'd liked.

Nic Von Rupp Conquers The Cave

Dubbed "Europe's most dangerous wave," when a late-season Atlantic pulse brought The Cave to life, of course, Nic von Rupp was on it. A heavy, slabbing, right-hand barrel in Portugal, it's certainly not for the faint of heart. Here's one last blast before the Atlantic goes to sleep for the summer.