Bruce takes a page right out of his brother's 2004 bookStepping out of the shadow of his elder brother and defending Mr Price Pro Champion Andy Irons, Bruce Irons took the second consecutive Mr Price Pro title for the Irons family at Durban’s North Beach on Sunday.
The twenty-five-year old Hawaiian set himself a comfortable pace to progress through five rounds of competition before landing himself in the hot seat, next two the powerful Brazilian, Marcondes Rocha.
With a progressive surfing style, arguably better suited to the onshore conditions than his Brazilian competitor, Irons was the perfect character for the SABC 1 live broadcast.
Answering back to the Brazilian’s power packed backhand attack, Irons boosted over Rocha’s initial 7.0 (out of a possible ten) ride landing an aerial reverse 360 to score an excellent 8.0. And then followed up with a 7.10 in response to Rocha’s 8.0.
Despite some critical, in the pocket surfing from Rocha, it was Irons’s aerial affinity that had the judge’s on the edge of their seats. And, with 90 seconds left on the clock, panic set in for Rocha who left the last set that pulsed through North Beach unridden, allowing Irons to step onto the beach as the 2005 Mr Price Pro Champion.
Amidst a hub of camera crew, photographers and adoring fans Irons, floated back to the tower to stand in the footprints of his elder brother and drenched in champagne, lifted this year’s trophy .
“I’ve never done well in this event although I’ve been competing here for eight years,” said Irons. “My brother was disappointed when he got knocked out earlier in the event but he’ll be stoked that I took the title today and kept it in the family.”
Bruce was awarded a cheque for R105 000 ($ 15 000) and although comfortably ranked 14th on the ASP World Championship Tour, his win at the Mr Price Pro six star WQS on Sunday will significantly boost his WQS rankings – the bottom 16 on the WCT being replaced with the top 16 on the WQS at the end of the year.
Despite his loss to Irons, Rocha earned significant points and a handsome R52 500. “I am very happy with the second place, it’s the best result of my career and a lot of points which is really good for my WQS rating,” said Rocha who jumped 50 positions and is now ranked 13th on the ASP WQS.
“Bruce is one of my favorite surfers, so I was happy I came up against him in the final. If I’d found some waves I might have made it.”
A Good Result Will Always Put A Smile On Your FaceThe quarterfinals were sparked with exceptional surfing from Irons and Australian Taj Burrow in what was one of the ‘hottest’ heats of the event. Posting the highest single wave score of the day, Irons opened with a lengthy tube ride, which seemed unimaginable in the onshore conditions.
Iron’s scoring a 9.60 (out of a possible ten) for his first score of the heat, Burrow waited to warm up before responding with a 9.00, carving out the face of his wave with futuristic ‘Taj’ styled turns that defy physics.
Performing under pressure Iron’s pulled off a classy critical aerial reverse to seal the deal for another excellent score.
The Pro Junior final which elapsed as a curtain raiser to the main final, was testimony to the future of South African surfing with four of our best juniors up against each other to contest the title.
Top seed Brandon Jackson (DBN) showed his training has paid off, posting a decisive victory over Damien Farhenfort (DBN), number two seed Josch Schmeltzer (Westville) and Dave Richards (CT) in second, third and fourth places respectively.
“I was leading the PST going into the event so I’m stoked with my win because I wanted to put a little bit more distance between myself and second place. I did that today so I''m really happy with my win,” elated Jackson.
This year’s Mr Price Pro drew to a close after an action packed week of world class men’s, women’s and junior surfing. The Mr Price Pro is a six star rated World Qualifying Series event with R1 Million rand in prize money. Over 250 of the world’s elite surfing professionals competed at North Beach, in the greatest surfing and beach festival on the African continent.