World pro surfing champion Andy Irons of Hanalei advanced Thursday after losing in his first heat at the Boost Mobile Pro of Surf presented by Quiksilver at Lower Trestles in Southern California. Irons lost to Jake Paterson of Western Australia
World pro surfing champion Andy Irons of Hanalei advanced Thursday after losing in his first heat at the Boost Mobile Pro of Surf presented by Quiksilver at Lower Trestles in Southern California.
Irons lost to Jake Paterson of Western Australia in the first round of the $250,000 World Championship Tournament.
Irons then eliminated Rob Machado of California in their second-round “losers” heat. The pair sat for 12.5 minutes without either catching a wave, so the heat had to be re-started. Then, Irons wasted no time picking off a great lefthander and belted it for the top score of 7.83. While Machado caught more rides and was surfing with his usual flow and finesse, he was unable to increase scores past a 7.1 for the lead. Irons played it smart and held priority until the end, ensuring he would catch the better ride if it came.
“Yeah, definitely,” acknowledged Irons, of being nervous. “He’s such a fierce competitor. I just had to be smart and not make a lot of mistakes. We had to have a re-start, and I’ve never been in one of those, so it kind of freaked me out at the beginning. But then it came down to the wire. I knew if he got a good wave near the end he could get a big score. I just had to hold him off as best I could.”
“I’m feeling good and psyched,” he added. “It was probably good to have an extra heat out here and get more used to the lineup. I can’t wait for my next round.”
Six-time world champ Kelly Slater of Cocoa Beach, Fla. was another standout, defeating explosive wildcard Bruce Irons of Hanalei.
A highlight of the surf contest is the race for the 2003 world pro surfing championship, with Irons retaining a lead of Slater, now No. 2 in the pro surf tour rankings. The event is set to run through Monday if needed.
