Taj Burrow (AUS), 31, has claimed the 2009 Billabong Pipe Masters, defeating fellow Finalist Kelly Slater (USA), 37, in clean three-to-five foot (1 – 1.5 metre) waves at the Banzai Pipeline.

The final event of the 2009 ASP World Tour season, the Billabong Pipe Masters culminated the Vans Triple Crown (an ASP Specialty Series), and provided non-stop, high-caliber action from the outset.

Burrow wasted little time in putting Slater on the ropes in the 35-minute Final, racking up a 7.00 out of a possible 10 on his opening ride for an electric air reverse followed by some solid forehand maneuvers. With deteriorating conditions, Burrow stayed busy before collecting a 5.83 for an incredible full-rotation alley-oop, putting the pressure on Slater as time ran out.

“There were perfect backdoor waves this whole event and then for the Final it went onshore,” Burrow said. “It was strictly turns. It was all about turns and hopefully doing a few airs and I dropped down to my shortboard and my plan was to just to let loose. It was tough because I knew Kelly (Slater) could do anything. Even when there was 20 seconds to go and I had priority, I was still scared. I just had nothing to lose and tried to let loose.”

Today’s victory mark’s Burrow’s first ASP World Tour win since 2007 and his first-ever win at the infamous Banzai Pipeline.

“This win feels about as good as you could imagine,” Burrow said. “For me, winning this contest is the next best thing to winning a World Title. This is the one and only event that everyone would probably pick to win and I can’t believe I’m standing here right now. It’s an amazing feeling. There are so many tough guys that you go up against in this event that I thought it was out of my reach. This is the best victory of my career.”
Burrow, who has long been considered a legitimate ASP World Title contender, is thrilled with his finish to the 2009 season looks forward to 2010 with renewed vigor and hunger to hunt down the ever-elusive ASP crown.

“This win is an excellent springboard into next season,” Burrow said. “There is nothing but confidence to take from this and I’m excited for the Gold Coast. It comes around really fast. It feels like we’re on holiday now, but the Gold Coast sneaks up on us pretty quick and I’m excited for it. Hopefully I can win some more events, but this is the number one that I’ve ever dreamed of winning.”

Slater looked near unbeatable throughout the Billabong Pipe Masters, deftly maneuvering his 5’11” craft through one incredible tube after another before running into Burrow in the Finals. While his opponent stayed busy throughout the bout, Slater waited patiently for scoring opportunities that never manifested.

“Unfortunately the Final had the absolute worst conditions of the contest, but there are still fun waves out there,” Slater said. “You could go out for a free surf and have a good time. It’s difficult to transition when you’re already expecting one thing. I had already had a couple of heats with barrels and then all of a sudden it’s completely different conditions. Still, there’s a shallow reef there, so you’re expecting one to throw out and barrel, but it just didn’t happen.”

The former nine-time ASP World Champion was in the hunt for an unprecedented seventh Pipe Masters title, but the conditions didn’t cooperate for the Floridian, despite finding the only barrel of the Final, scoring a 3.93 out of a possible 10.

“I thought the wave would be more than a three,” Slater said. “I still needed two waves, basically. There really weren’t any nine-point rides out there and had that been only a six I would have needed a seven. I thought the judges put me in a weird situation there, and in the end, nothing else came. Well, that’s not entirely true. I caught that last wave and did an off-the-top and Taj (Burrow) took off on it and just kicked off the side. He almost stood up too late and could have got an interference. Had he done that he would have only been judged on one wave. Had I landed that air reverse I could have gotten a score, but it was a long shot.”

In terms of returning in 2010 for an unprecedented 10th ASP World Title, Slater is characteristically guarded.

“I don’t know if I’m going to do the tour full-time next year,” Slater said. “I’m sort of feeling it out. I’ve just competed for so many years, doing the same thing and going to the same places, it’s a little monotonous. When you find some meaning in it and it’s bigger than just going and surfing, then it becomes more exciting, but, unfortunately, this year I had a pretty lackluster year in a lot of ways, both personally and competitively and it probably showed in my surfing.”

Dean Morrison (AUS), 28, secured his best result of the season today, finishing Equal 3rd at the Billabong Pipe Masters to cement himself at No. 16th on the year-end ratings. Besting Damien Hobgood (USA), 30, in a tight Quarterfinal before falling to Slater in the Semifinals, Morrison put himself into excellent position heading into the 2010 ASP World Tour season.

“There’s a lot of hassling going on out there, but that’s the way it goes when it’s such a tight peak,” Morrison said. “I spend a lot of time out here at Pipeline though, so it’s nice to have made it through to the Semifinals.”

Dane Reynolds (USA), 24, continued his impressive run through the back half of the 2009 ASP World Tour season, finishing Equal 3rd today at the Billabong Pipe Masters and cracking the Top 10 in the year-end ASP ratings. Although quickly dispatching of compatriot C.J. Hobgood (USA), 30, in the Quarterfinals, Reynolds was unable to negotiate the deteriorating conditions in his Semifinal bout against event winner Burrow.

“I was kind of stuck between trying to find air sections and still trying to find one of those rare tubes and ended up not doing either,” Reynolds said. “I just got stuck in the middle. I’m stoked though. It was a good way to end the year and it’s been a good event.”

Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, was in the running for the 2009 ASP World Title before bowing out of the Billabong Pipe Masters in Round 3 of competition. Although Gold Coast stable mate Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, claimed the 2009 ASP World Title, Parkinson’s efforts throughout the Vans Triple Crown (an ASP Specialty Series) saw the talented natural-footer awarded with his second consecutive Vans Triple Crown Title as well as a bonus $50,000 from the Vans Triple Threat prize pool.

“This is my consolation prize to this year’s ASP World Title,” Parkinson said. “To me, the Triple Crown is the next best thing to the World Title. Last year I wanted to win the Vans Triple Crown and this year I wanted to win the ASP World Title, but I won the Triple Crown and I’m over the moon with what happened this year. I should be proud of everything I’ve done and I can’t wait for next year and I’ll be back strong for another Triple Crown and all that and I just want to thank Vans for stepping it up to a new level for putting out huge incentives for us.”

Highlights from the Billabong Pipe Masters can be found on www.billabongpro.com and www.triplecrownofsurfing.com

While the 2009 season has come to a close, the 2010 ASP World Tour is just around the corner, and will set new benchmarks in performance as it continues to showcase the world’s best surfers in the world’s best waves.

For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Taj Burrow (AUS) 12.83
2 – Kelly Slater (USA) 7.10

BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.17 def. Dean Morrison (AUS) 7.00
SF 2: Taj Burrow (AUS) 14.50 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 11.67

BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Dean Morrison (AUS) 11.00 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 10.17
QF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 17.24 def. Flynn Novak (HAW) 13.87
QF 3: Taj Burrow (AUS) 16.90 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 15.40
QF 4: Dane Reynolds (USA) 15.10 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 8.67

VANS TRIPLE CROWN TRIPLE THREAT AWARDS:
2009 ASP World Champion: Mick Fanning (AUS) – awarded bonus $50,000
2009 Vans Triple Crown Champion: Joel Parkinson (AUS) – awarded bonus $50,000
2009 Billabong Pipe Masters Champion: Taj Burrow (AUS) – awarded bonus $50,000

VANS TRIPLE CROWN FINAL TOP 3 (Men’s):
1 – Joel Parkinson (AUS) 6694 points
2 – C.J. Hobgood (USA) 6213 points
3 – Torrey Meister (HAW) 5775 points

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The final day of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing and Billabong Pipeline Masters, presented by Rockstar Energy Drink will get underway at 9AM (HST) this morning in building 4-6ft surf at the Banzai Pipeline. We will see a new Vans Triple Crown and Billabong Pipe Masters champ crowned and $100,000 in Vans "Triple Threat" bonus money awarded. There will also be a an "expression session" just before the finals with many of the past Pipe champs surfing including: Gerry Lopez, Rory Russell, Derek and Michael Ho, Bruce and Andy Irons, Rob Machado and Jamie O'Brien. And if you have FUEL TV, be sure to watch the Billabong Pipeline Masters finals LIVE on television, for the first time ever!



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PIPELINE, Oahu/Hawaii (Monday, December 14, 2009) - Four weeks of firing winter surf along Oahu's North Shore will all come to a head tomorrow at the Billabong Pipe Masters - the final jewel of the record-setting $1,000,000 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, presented by Rockstar Energy Drink. The final eight surfers will hit the water early tomorrow, with the Pipe Masters champion to be crowned around midday Hawaii time. Prior to the final, former Pipe Masters champions Gerry Lopez, Derek Ho, Rob Machado, and Bruce and Andy Irons will put on a nostalgic surfing exhibition at the venerated surf venue. It will all air live across America, Australia and Portugal on FUEL TV. Hawaii can also enjoy the final day live on Oceanic channels 250 and 1250.



This winter has been a god-send for Hawaii; huge waves and world class surfing action has drawn massive worldwide attention, placing the stunning scenery and natural power of Oahu's North Shore front and center from Asia to Africa, London, Italy, Scotland, New York and Sydney, Australia. International media monitoring services and reports from news bureaus like Associated Press put the reach of the past month's surf action at around a half-billion households worldwide.

Headliners of tomorrow's action include the greatest surfer of all time: Kelly Slater, California's Dane Reynolds, former Vans Triple Crown champion Bede Durbidge of Australia, and Hawaii's lone hope of Flynn Novak.

While eliminated from the competition, Australia's Joel Parkinson will still be a feature of the day. He maintains the lead on the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing series ratings and, along with his millions of supporters back home, will be hoping that CJ Hobgood goes down before the final so that the $50,000 Vans Triple Crown bonus purse is his. It would be a positive end to a solid Hawaiian season and a decent consolation prize after losing the world title battle to good friend Mick Fanning (Australia) on Saturday.

In addition to the Vans Triple Crown bonus, Vans will be presenting the Billabong Pipe Masters champion with an extra $50,000, bringing the first place award to an unprecedented $90,000.

The action of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing will be broadcast live in HD on the web with the support of our HD partner FUEL TV at triplecrownofsurfing.com, as well as on Hawaii television on Oceanic channel 250.

For Billabong Pipe Masters highlights, videos, photos and more log on to:
www.triplecrownofsurfing.com

Making the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing presented by Rockstar Energy Drink possible: Reef, O'Neill, Billabong, Gidget Worldwide, Nixon, Turtle Bay Resort, Hawaiian Airlines, JN Automotive Group, Surfing Magazine, Surfline.com, FUEL TV, The Honolulu Advertiser, Hawaiian Springs Water, Road Runner, Climb On! chemical-free skincare, and the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP). The Series is proud to announce that it is working with local company Tr3ees to embark upon a greener, more sustainable future.


QUARTER FINAL MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Dean Morrison (AUS) v Damien Hobgood (USA)
Heat 2: Flynn Novak (HAW) v Kelly Slater (USA)
Heat 3: Bede Durbidge (AUS) v Taj Burrow (AUS)
Heat 4: CJ Hobgood (USA) v Dane Reynolds (USA)



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Contest organizers are holding out for a new swell that is headed towards the Hawaiian Islands tonight. Tomorrow should hopefully see solid surf for the final day of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing / Billabong Pipeline Masters. Check back for status updates as a new Billabong Pipe Master and Vans Triple Crown Champion will soon be crowned!



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After a week of huge surf and two epic days of competition on Friday and Saturday at Pipe, the swell is starting to subside. Event organizers are hoping to complete the final day of the Billabong Pipeline Masters this Tuesday as a new swell is predicted to hit the North Shore. In the meantime, check out video of all the epic barrels from the last two days of competition, plus coverage of Mick Fanning's ASP World Title victory.



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PIPELINE, Oahu/Hawaii (Saturday, December 12, 2009) - In a convoluted moment of both celebration and commiseration, Australia's Mick Fanning, 28, has clinched his second 2009 ASP World Title on Oahu's North Shore. It all took place during the Billabong Pipe Masters - the final stop of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing presented by Rockstar Energy Drink - when Fanning found himself in the lineup with his two childhood mates: Joel Parkinson and Dean Morrison.





The same horn that signaled the start of Fanning's fourth round opening heat clash against Morrison, signaled the end of Joel's run in the Billabong Pipe Masters and the end of his world title campaign, eliminated in the last heat of the third round by Gavin Gillette (Hawaii). With Parkinson's loss, Fanning was unbeatable on the ASP Dream Tour rankings. Forty minutes later, Morrison had eliminated him from the competition.

In recognition of his accomplishment, the Vans Triple Crown awarded Mick a $50,000 world champion's bonus - part one of the Vans Triple Threat that will also award $50,000 on the final day of competition to the Billabong Pipe Masters champion, and a further $50,000 to the Vans Triple Crown series champion.




"First I'd like to thank Vans," said Fanning. "I really appreciate how they stepped it up for the Triple Crown. It's awesome to see companies believing in surfing. It's just a picture of what's going to happen in years to come.

"I'm at a loss for words. It's been such a crazy year and I had so much fun. I'm just shaking and lost for words."

"If I wasn't in the race, I would have been gunning for Joel (Parkinson), for sure. He just had that bad ankle injury and surfed so good all year."

The 2009 ASP World Tour season will go down in history as one of the most dramatic, with Parkinson winning three of the first five events before Fanning rallied in the latter half of the season to overtake his good friend.

"I knew I was surfing well," Fanning said. "It was just a matter of getting that result. I knew it was going to turn around sooner or later. I don't know, it's weird the way the world works."


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Day of 3 of The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing presented by Rockstar energy drink - The Billabong Pipeline Masters - kicks off today at 8AM (HST) in 6-8 ft surf. Rounds 3 and 4 will compete, which includes world title contenders Joel Parkinson and Mick Fanning, as well as Kelly Slater and the rest of the usual WCT suspects. Watch all the action live online or on the new Vans "3X Surf" iPhone app.



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