After the week he’s had on Oahu’s North Shore, Hanalei’s Bruce Irons might never come home. By pulling out some huge scores when he needed them most, Irons claimed a spot on the 2005 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World
After the week he’s had on Oahu’s North Shore, Hanalei’s Bruce Irons might never come home.
By pulling out some huge scores when he needed them most, Irons claimed a spot on the 2005 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour (WCT) yesterday.
And that’s just days after, and less than a mile away from, the biggest win of his life, at the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau at Waimea Bay last Wednesday.
Irons, who finished fourth in the all-Hawaiian final, needed a fifth-place finish or better to requalify for the top-ranked WCT after his rookie year was filled with ups and downs.
While Irons placed second at the WCT event in France in September, he spent most of the year getting knocked out of the early rounds at WCT events around the globe.
Yesterday, though, the 2001 Pipeline Master responded like a champion. He posted his second 10-point ride of the tournament in the quarterfinals, then scored a huge 9.5 to push past eventual champ Jamie O’Brien, six-time world champ Kelly Slater and Cory Lopez into the final.
“I had butterflies all week,” Irons said. “Every heat I drew was the hardest of my life. The people I surfed against were the gnarliest guys. I was just so stoked to make the final and re-qualify, but it was Jamie’s day today.”
In the final, Irons and fellow finalists Sunny Garcia and Kalani Robb were no match for O’Brien, who posted his best two rides before anyone else even collected a score. O’Brien, 21, grew up right in front of Pipeline, and owned the contest like it was his backyard.
“Ever since I was a little kid I’ve been looking at all those past champions, the Pipe legends,” O’Brien said after being carried up the beach. “I’m just so stoked to have my name up there with them. This is the best feeling.”
“This is amazing,” said O’Brien. “I can’t believe my dream came true. I’m so happy I achieved it at 21. Thanks so much to Rip Curl, all my friends, and the guys in the final.”
With his second-place finish, Sunny Garcia wrapped up his unprecedented sixth Van’s Triple Crown of Surfing Championship.
Garcia, the 2000 world champion, has yet to become a Pipe Master in his illustrious career, taking the runner-up trophy home for the fifth time Sunday.
He did win a bonus $10,000, plus a Ford Ranger Truck for the Triple Crown though.
“I’m about to tear-up right now,” Garcia said after he was presented the Triple Crown trophy. “I had to sit out for an entire year after having knee-surgery, and watching the Triple Crown last year was hard. My main goal coming back this year was to be ready for it again, so to win is incredible,”
“I’ve always said Hawaiians are the best surfers in the world, and I think we showed that today,” Garcia said after the final.
For the first time, the hard-charging 34-year-old discussed retirement.
“I’m thinking about retiring the year after next, so everything is just a bonus for me now and I’m going to enjoy it,” he said.
As for his fifth bridesmaid finish, Garcia said he’ll be going for it next year.
“One of these days I’m going to win it, but if I don’t, I’m still happy,” he said. “I’ve accomplished everything I wanted to do in surfing.”
All the finals competitors mentioned the pressure of the day, which concluded the 2004 WCT in clean, 6-8 foot waves.
After a week of huge surf, the conditions were just about perfect for some deep tube rides.
While Slater posted two perfect tens for the day, he appeared to peak a few rounds early, bowing out to Irons and O’Brien in the semi-finals.
Then the day was left to the locals. And O’Brien showed everybody why he’s nicknamed “The Freak,” posting a 9.97 after a near-impossible drop to long tube-ride.
“I was under pressure, so I just sat deep,” O’Brien said of his positioning in the finals. “I figured those guys were trying to go right, so I held position for the lefts and somehow they came through. That 9.97 was incredible. I couldn’t believe I made it, and felt chills going through my body.”
His two-wave tally of 17.97 points left all opponents comboed‚ and even with more than two thirds of the clash remaining, none got close.
Third-place finisher Kalani Robb reached his first Pipeline Masters final after a stellar career.
The only goofy footer in the decider, Robb was a standout all day with his forehand barrel rides at Pipe. Requiring a strong finish in Hawaii to ensure his re-qualification for 2005, he did that and more, jumping to 15th overall for the season.
“I’m really happy as I’ve always felt I should make Pipeline finals,” admitted Robb. “I wish there would have been more waves, but you have to hand it to Jamie. On a day like this I really feel someone gets a spiritual push.
“There was that many good guys, but he stood out and got the waves,” Robb said of the newest Pipe Master. “Maybe it comes down to good karma or something.”
A Pipeline finalist in 2001, O’Brien only just recovered from a knee injury that kept him out of the water last month. Today’s win banked $30,000, but more importantly, one of surfing’s most prized titles — Pipeline Master.
