Kaua‘i’s Andy Irons defeated fellow Hawai‘i surfer Granger Larsen yesterday in Round 2 of the Billabong Pro Jeffrey’s Bay and moves on to face-off against Brazil’s Heitor Alves. The three-time world champion posted a combined score of 15.17 to beat
Kaua‘i’s Andy Irons defeated fellow Hawai‘i surfer Granger Larsen yesterday in Round 2 of the Billabong Pro Jeffrey’s Bay and moves on to face-off against Brazil’s Heitor Alves.
The three-time world champion posted a combined score of 15.17 to beat the wildcard entry by less than four points. In a post-surf interview, Irons said the cold temperature of the water was an issue for him.
“You have to pick the right ones and that has been tough for me lately,” Irons said. “I’ve been battling the cold badly. I went to Bali before this and I think that was a bad move because it’s hard to get motivated to get out there. I only surfed once before the contest and then only in heats ever since.”
Three other Hawai‘i surfers remain in the competition. Roy Powers will be first up in Heat 2 of Round 3 today against Australia’s Luke Stedman. Bruce Irons, who bumped Andy to the second round on Thursday, will surf in Heat 10 against Australia’s Dayyan Neve.
Fred Pattachia will take on Adrian Buchan of Australia.
Hawai‘i surfer Panco Sullivan was slated to compete but was unable to arrive in time for his heat.
Sullivan had passport problems that were beyond his control. His opponent in the heat, Ben Bourgeois, received a bye heading into Round 3.
Australia’s Joel Parkinson is currently the highest-rated surfer still left in the competition.
For results and Round 3 matchups, see today’s Scoreboard above.
