The elated Taj Burrow and runner-up, Andy Irons, celebrating a hard-earned spot on the winner’s podium with a few Foster’s showers. Photo: WSL
Thursday, April 12, 2007 was one for the books. The final day of the 35th Annual Rip Curl Pro was an absolute cracker, to say the least. From the abnormally warm weather to every competitor’s fiery determination, there was an increased sense of excitement leading up to the final heat of the contest. And it was with good reason. Who wouldn’t be fired up to see a Burrow-Irons final?
In the opening semi-final, Burrow edged out Tom Whitaker, who caused a massive upset in the quarters with a well-deserved win over 8-time world champion, Kelly Slater. Andy, the 2002 and 2003 Bells champ, solidified his spot in the final and crushed any hope of an all-Australian matchup by narrowly defeating Queenslander Mick Fanning in the following semi-final.
When it came time for the 35-minute Hawaiian-Australian matchup, both Taj and Andy were surfing with a blazing conviction. Irons was well on his way to pocketing his third Bells Beach title, as he held the lead for much of the heat by posting a couple of 7s. Burrow, who was determined as hell to ring that bell and back up his 7.8, came from behind to beat Irons with just two minutes left on the clock by scoring a 9.00 point ride. This was Burrow’s first WCT win since 2004 in Brazil.
In a post-heat interview, Taj’s excitement was more than evident. “Best win of my career, for sure,” explained the elated Taj. “I just wanted to win that one more than anything in my whole life or career. I just really wanted that one.”
Rip Curl Pro Final Results:
Final: Taj Burrow (AUS) 16.83 def. Andy Irons (HAW) 14.73
Rip Curl Pro Semifinal Results:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.30 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 15.13
Heat 2: Andy Irons (HAW) 16.90 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 16.17
Rip Curl Pro Quarterfinal Results:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 14.07 def. Royden Bryson (ZAF) 11.40
Heat 2: Tom Whitaker (AUS) 16.33 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 14.34
Heat 3: Andy Irons (USA) 17.17 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 12.10
Heat 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 13.46 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 13.16
