Posted on: Saturday, December 4, 2004
Irons grabs another title for trophy case
Advertiser Staff
Andy Irons can now cross another surfing title off his to-do list.
Carol Cunningham • Vans Triple Crown of Surfing via AP The final day of the contest was completed in 4- to 6-foot surf (with some wave-faces as high as 12 feet) at Sunset Beach.
"This is such a prestigious spot," said Irons, 26. "To have a win here is very special."
The World Cup is the second jewel in the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. It was the one Hawai'i victory that was missing from Irons' illustrious collection of first-place trophies.
He left little doubt yesterday, receiving a two-wave total of 16.17 in the final. His best wave received a score of 8.67 for a barrel ride on a rare left-breaking wave. Most of the high-scoring waves at Sunset break to the right.
He made off with the $15,000 first-place check, and moved back into Triple Crown contention.
It was also a case of redemption for Irons, who was eliminated in the early rounds of the Vans Hawaiian Pro — the first contest in the Triple Crown — at Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach.
"I'm really bummed now that I did bad at Hale'iwa," he said. "I'm fiending for (the Triple Crown title), but I think Sunny's going to have to have the wheels fall off for me to beat him."
Wai'anae's Sunny Garcia won the first contest in the Triple Crown and was eliminated in the fifth round of the World Cup yesterday. He is actually in second place in the Triple Crown standings entering the final event.
Australia's Phillip MacDonald, who placed second at Hale'iwa and tied for fifth yesterday, is now the Triple Crown leader. Irons, the two-time defending Triple Crown champion, is third.
Former world champion Mark Occhilupo of Australia placed second to Irons in the final with a two-wave score of 13.80.
Fred Patacchia Jr. of Hale'iwa placed third and qualified for the 2005 World Championship Tour. The World Cup was the final event on surfing's 2004 World Qualifying Series.
Patacchia finished the year ranked No. 8 on the qualifying series, and will now get to compete with surfers such as Irons and Garcia next year.
The final event in the Triple Crown, the Rip Curl Pro Pipeline Masters, will run on the four best days between Dec. 8 and 20 at the Banzai Pipeline.
Final results
1. Andy Irons (Hawai'i), $15,000 2. Mark Occhilupo (Australia), $8,000 3. Fred Patacchia Jr. (Hawai'i), $6,000 4. Joel Parkinson (Australia), $4,000 5 (tie). Tim Reyes (California) and Phillip MacDonald (Australia), $3,000. 7 (tie). Nathan Carroll (Hawai'i) and Cory Lopez (Florida), $2,600. 9 (tie). Michael Lowe (Australia), Daniel Jones (Hawai'i), Neco Padaratz (Brazil) and Leonardo Neves (Brazil), $2,300. 13 (tie). Kalani Robb (Hawai'i), Renan Rocha (Brazil), Kelly Slater (Florida) and Raoni Monteiro (Brazil), $1,900.
Irons, the three-time defending world champion from Kaua'i, won the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing for the first time yesterday.
Kaua'i's Andy Irons shows off his winning form in the final round of the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach. Irons earned $15,000 for winning the second jewel of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.
"I think it looked like I was a little deeper (in the barrel) than it really was," he said. "But I'll take it and I'll run with it."
Andy Irons
