[ SURFING ]
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Current ASP world champion Andy Irons surfed through the first round of the Xbox Pipeline Masters yesterday.
Slater, Irons on
collision course
Neither Andy Irons nor Kelly Slater flinched in round one of their season-ending battle for surfing's world championship. Both won yesterday at the Xbox Gerry Lopez Pipeline Masters.
Irons of Kauai was in the first heat to hit the 8- to 16-foot-face waves at the Banzai Pipeline on the second day of competition, and Florida's Slater in the second.
Both handily won, moving straight into the third round and bypassing the second round, which was completed later in the day.
"I feel on top of my game, things are coming together," said the 25-year-old Irons, who advanced with a two-wave score of 17.03 points. Slater advanced with 15.50.
Irons is the defending world title holder and event winner, while Slater is a record six-time world and five-time Pipeline Masters champ. The only surfers still in contention for this year's world title, Slater currently leads Irons by a mere 96 points in the standings.
Basically, the surfer who finishes higher at the Pipeline Masters, the last event of the season, will win the world championship. As the two highest-seeded competitors, they are on opposite sides of the draw and would not actually meet in a heat unless both qualify for the final.
With the way the draw is set up, however, Irons again surfs in the heat just before Slater in the third round. The pattern would continue through the semifinals, should both surfers keep advancing.
"I think it's a good advantage to surf first," Irons said. "I'm comfortable with it. I can get my business out of the way and then Kelly has to worry about matching it."
Countered the 31-year-old Slater: "I think the advantages and disadvantages work both ways. The pressure is on me to keep up with Andy, but the pressure is on, from now, for both for us."
The Pipeline Masters is also the finale of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, a prestigious series of three events in Hawaii that began last month. The best overall performer is named the Triple Crown champion.
Current series points leader Jake Paterson of Australia was eliminated from the Pipeline Masters yesterday in the second round. His early elimination leaves the chance for series No. 2 Irons -- also the defending Triple Crown champ -- and No. 4 Neco Padaratz of Brazil to take the Triple Crown title (No. 3 Armando Daltro of Brazil pulled out of the event for personal reasons).
Irons must finish fourth or better at the Pipeline Masters to clinch his second Triple Crown, while Padaratz must win the event and have Irons finish fifth or worst to take the series.
World No. 3 Taj Burrow of Australia also was eliminated yesterday. Among the notables who advanced were No. 4 Mick Fanning of Australia, Damien Hobgood of Florida and Hawaii surfers Kalani Chapman, Pancho Sullivan, Kalani Robb and Irons' younger brother, Bruce.
Hobgood posted the highest overall heat score, 18.5, while Chapman notched the second perfect single-wave score of the event so far.
"I feel like I can surf pretty good out (at Pipeline), and I can get those scores if I get the right waves, put myself in the right spots," Hobgood, 24, said. "I was stoked on my wave selection, and to get those scores."
Chapman, 21, of Sunset Beach, qualified for the Pipeline Masters main event through the trials portion on Friday.
"The (perfect-scoring) wave was real steep. It had an air-drop, I stuck it, took a couple pumps and came out" of the barreling section," Chapman said.
"Everybody has their home break," he added, "and this is my home break."
Yesterday's action was during a declining swell, and forecasts indicate the next big swell is likely to build late Tuesday, with the Pipeline Masters probably resuming Wednesday. Depending on the conditions, the contest could run to its completion in one day, but may need two more.
