Taj Burrow clinches victory in Round 1 of Rip Curl Pro Search – 2011 ASP World Tour
The formidable Australian force, Taj Burrow, got off to a perfect start at the latest stop of the 2011 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour, Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco, with a convincing win in the third heat of Round 1 that went down at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, America, on Tuesday, November 1.
The success in his Round 1 heat allowed Burrow to move directly into Round 3. Hawaii’s John John Florence failed to impress during the three-man battle and had to settle for runner-up place. Australia’s Daniel Ross rounded out the third position after exhibiting a performance that was nothing short of disappointing.
Sitting at the fifth spot on the 2011 ASP World Title rankings, Burrow had remained one of the strongest contender for the title over the last few months. His ability to come up with a solid performance in any conditions at any surfing location around the world has made him one of the most feared competitor over the years, though the Australian had never been able to go all the way to clinching the World Title despite coming extremely close to it quite a few times.
While the ASP World Title has already eluded him in the current season, the 33-year-old Burrow is looking to wrap things up in style. The third-to-last event of the ASP elite tour, Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco, had clean three-to-five foot waves on offer during the opening day and Burrow intended on making the most out of them.
As the third heat got underway, the ASP veteran went through a series of waves before locking one to collect 5.67 points off it. He soon caught another wave to unleash a string of turns and flips, earning 7.00 points for the effort and moving to a heat-total of 12.67 points. The score remained unbeatable throughout the entirety of the contest and eventually carried him off to victory.
Instead of getting a little giddy on his feet after joining the ranks of elite ASP surfers for his first ASP Dream Tour, Florence had fitted just right in. After making solid impacts in the previous two stops, Florence was looking for a strong start at Ocean Beach but failed to deliver on the opening day of the event. Getting off to a slow start, the Hawaiian’s hunt for a couple of competitive scores earned him a 7.67, but he failed to follow it up with another decent score and eventually finished with a heat-total of 10.67 points. As a result, he was forced to settle for second place.
Ross seemed to have gotten off the wrong side of the bed and remained utterly disappointing throughout the 30-minute heat. A desperate search only allowed him to collect a 2.50 and 4.50, moving him to a heat-total of 7.00 points, which resulted in his third place finish.
Florence and Ross would be competing in the second round to try and extend their life in the competition by earning a spot in Round 3.
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