All the talk of a substandard halfpipe didn't stop American Shaun White from opening his Olympics with a huge score.

White racked up a 95.75 in his first run Tuesday, the top score in the qualifying round, on a day when Olympic organizers originally announced they were eliminating qualifying in hopes of better conditions, then quickly changed their minds.

Shaun White's first qualifying run in the halfpipe wowed the judges, who gave him a 95.75. Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Afterward, White promised something special for Tuesday night's halfpipe final.

"You heard the rumors," he said. "I've been working on some big tricks."

Could it be the "YOLO" -- a double-cork 1440? Or maybe the triple-cork move he worked on for about a year but supposedly abandoned?

"There's definitely something special," he said. "I'm going to play it by ear, though."

The 27-year-old, in search of his third straight gold medal, strung together back-to-back double-corks in his first qualifying heat to score a 95.75. On the second, which he said was just a practice run for things he might try later, White slipped up on his final jump and scored a 70.75.

He qualified directly for the final, as did fellow American Danny Davis.

American Gregory Bretz reached the final after finishing second in the semifinal with an 83.00.

The final U.S. snowboarder, Taylor Gold, finished eighth in the semifinal after falling on his final jump and did not advance. The top six in the semfinal made the final, joining the top six that qualified directly from the first qualification heats.

Japanese teenager Ayumu Hirano topped the first qualifying heat with a 92.25. He qualified directly for the final, along with Switzerland's Christian Haller and David Habluetzel.

Hirano, 15, won the silver medal at X Games Aspen in 2013 and is considered one of the top contenders to prevent White's bid for a third straight gold.

In the second qualifying heat, Taku Hiraoka matched his countryman Hirano with a 92.25 for second place behind White, while Davis was third at 92.00.