Burrow Lights Up Winkipop

Posted by Justin Ward on 7 April 2010 | 0 Comments

Tags: Competition

No one involved in any surf comp, be it your local boardriders battle or an ASP Tour event, enjoys moving an event down the road due to a lack of waves. It's a massive inconvenience for all, but sometimes Huey just isn't keen to run with the program so the move has to go down.

Unfortunately, Bells Beach and 13th Beach hasn't been receiving the epic surf that contest directors at the Rip Curl Pro; competitors and spectators were originally hoping for, so another move was made and the relocation decision is paying off. 

The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by SNICKERS recently relocated to Winkipop for Round 3 where the opening four heats of Round 4 today where perennial threats went ballistic in the rippable three-to-four-foot (1 metre) reeling righthanders. 

Taj Burrow (AUS), 31, current ASP World No. 1, has been in sensational form lately with nearly a flawless competitive record over the past five months, and showcased exactly why throughout two heats today. In a hard-fought battle against explosive rookie Matt Wilkinson (AUS), 21, Burrow surfed flawlessly, netting a 17.04 out of a possible 20.

"That was fun for sure," Burrow said. "I saw some great waves and I was really excited to surf, but I just knew that you actually had to catch them because there weren't that many. But everything went my way which is unfortunate for Wilko. He's a great surfer, he has the best backhand so I knew it was going to be a tough heat, but I just got stuck with the waves and they came to me. I was happy I had the magnet on." The lightning-fast Western Australian then went on a rampage against former three-time ASP World Champion Andy Irons (HAW), 31, in Round 4, posting the highest score of the day, a 17.77 out of a possible 20.

"It feels great," Burrow said. "I owe him (Irons) a couple. We've had some amazing battles over our careers. He's been in deadly form. He's all alive so it was good to get him for sure. I had a great time. The waves are really good. I think it might even be one the best surfs I've had at Winki - only small, but just so clean and with the high tide they were coming from this little deep peak. Every wave I took off on had such a nice wall. It was good to have a few sets come through too. I was worried about the heat being inconsistent but it ended up pumping."

Burrow will take on an in-form Adriano de Souza (BRA), 23, in the Quarterfinals of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.

RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH REMAINING ROUND 3 RESULTS:

Heat 1: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 16.67 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 11.16

Heat 2: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 13.37 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 11.70

Heat 3: Andy Irons (HAW) 10.67 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 6.70

Heat 4: Taj Burrow (AUS) 17.04 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 13.33

Heat 5: Roy Powers (HAW) 13.50 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 12.34

Heat 6: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.67 def. Owen Wright (AUS) 8.47

Heat 7: Tiago Pires (PRT) 13.14 def. Daniel Ross (AUS) 12.17

Heat 8: Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.20 def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 11.84

Heat 9: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 15.16 def. Neco Padaratz (BRA) 13.57

Heat 10: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 15.17 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 12.06

Heat 11: Bobby Martinez (USA) 12.83 def. Drew Courtney (AUS) 10.34

Heat 12: Jadson Andre (BRA) 16.53 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 14.37

Heat 13: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 15.90 def. Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 15.63

Heat 14: Luke Stedman (AUS) 14.34 def. Chris Davidson (AUS) 14.17

Heat 15: Kelly Slater (USA) 15.10 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 13.84

Heat 16: Michel Bourez (PYF) 16.24 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 10.00

RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 4 RESULTS:

Heat 1: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.90 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 11.90

Heat 2: Taj Burrow (AUS) 17.77 def. Andy Irons (HAW) 11.93

Heat 3: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 17.30 def. Roy Powers (HAW) 13.77

Heat 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 12.60 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 10.90

RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH REMAINING ROUND 4 RESULTS:

Heat 5: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Adrian Buchan (AUS)

Heat 6: Bobby Martinez (USA) vs. Jadson Andrew (BRA)

Heat 7: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Luke Stedman (AUS)

Heat 8: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Michel Bourez (PYF)

Highlights from the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by SNICKERS will be available via www.live.ripcurl.com.

Pictured | Taj Burrow (AUS), 31, current ASP World No. 1, was the dominant surfer in today's Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by SNICKERS.

Credit | © ASP / ROBERTSON