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\nPictured: Andy Irons (HAW), 31, former three-time ASP World Champion and former four-time Pipe Masters Champion, saw a welcomed returned to form today at the Billabong Pipeline Masters.<\/p>\n
Billabong Pipeline Masters
\nStop No. 10 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour
\nPipeline, Oahu\/Hawaii
\nDecember 8 – 20, 2009<\/p>\n
World\u2019s Best Unleash Upon Pipeline for Day 1 Billabong Pipeline Masters<\/p>\n
\nPictured: Andy Irons (HAW), 31, former three-time ASP World Champion and former four-time Pipe Masters Champion, saw a welcomed returned to form today at the Billabong Pipeline Masters.<\/p>\n
Credit: \u00a9 ASP\/ CI\/ CESTARI via GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n
PIPELINE, Oahu\/Hawaii (Thursday, December 10, 2009) \u2013 Round 1 of the Billabong Pipeline Masters, Event No. 10 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, commenced today in clean six-to-ten foot (2 \u2013 3 metre) waves at the Banzai Pipeline.<\/p>\n
The third and final event in the Vans Triple Crown (an ASP Specialty Series), the Billabong Pipeline Masters plays host to two dramatic story arcs: the showdown for the 2009 ASP World Title and the requalification race for the 2010 ASP Dream Tour. Amidst the world\u2019s best surfers exists a spattering of Pipeline specialists, making the competition field particularly challenging to navigate.Michael Picon (FRA), 30, current ASP World No. 39, is in need of an impressive result in the final event of the year to secure his position amongst the world\u2019s elite in 2010. Today, the Frenchman put the rest of the draw on notice, first eliminating wildcard Manoa Drollet (PYF) before posting the highest heat total of the event, a 19.76 out of a possible 20, for a brilliant backhand tube-riding approach to take out Josh Kerr (AUS), 25, in the final heat of the day.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was the best heat of my life,\u201d Picon said. \u201cI was just trying to build momentum and I feel like all of the training I\u2019ve done is paying off. It\u2019s great to have this heat at Pipeline and in Hawaii. Today was all about the rights. We all knew that. I was going for the right too. I figured I\u2019d go for the death, whatever.\u201d<\/p>\n
To vault himself ahead the current qualification cutoff point, Picon will have to finish third or better at the Billabong Pipeline Masters, but the calculated Frenchman remains calm heading into the remainder of the event.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying not to think about it,\u201d Picon said. \u201cI\u2019m just thinking about having a good heat and having a good contest here because it\u2019s always been a dream for me to do well at Pipeline. I\u2019m just really confident after that heat.\u201d<\/p>\n
John John Florence (HAW), 16, the Billabong Pipeline Masters\u2019 youngest competitor, was a tour du force in his Round 1 heat, posting an impressive 17.20 out of a possible 20, to defeat fellow Hawaiian wildcard Danny Fuller (HAW), 27.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith four guys out at Pipe I was going crazy and just trying to get every wave I could,\u201d Florence said. \u201cYesterday was big and messy and today\u2019s conditions have really cleaned up. This morning was fun, but this afternoon\u2019s wind has made it really good. Growing up here, I really looked up to all the local guys for inspiration and advice out here. To be competing in the Pipe Masters is an honor and I hope I have the opportunity to surf through a few more rounds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Florence will take on current ASP World No. 27, Heitor Alves (BRA), 27, in Heat 12 of Round 2 when competition resumes.<\/p>\n
Andy Irons (HAW), 31, former three-time ASP World Champion and former four-time Pipe Master Champion, showed a return to form today recovering from an early heat double-interference collision with opponent Marcus Hickman (HAW), 30, and rallying with a dominant performance in the Backdoor righthanders. Although on sabbatical from full-time competition this season, Irons\u2019 return to the ASP World Tour in 2010 has been highly-anticipated by the surfing world.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve decided to be on the world tour next year and just being in a jersey is a good warm-up for it,\u201d Irons said. \u201cI definitely feel like I\u2019m in a better position going into next season after taking this year off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Irons will take on current ASP World No. 25, Drew Courtney (AUS), 30, in Heat 16 of Round 2 when the Billabong Pipeline Masters recommences.<\/p>\n
Andy wasn\u2019t the only Irons to make a dent in today\u2019s competition as younger brother and former ASP World Tour campaigner, Bruce Irons (HAW), 30, took down lethal Californian Tim Reyes (USA), 27, in Round 2 of competition. <\/p>\n
Torrey Meister (HAW), 21, wildcard into the Billabong Pipeline Masters, was the first alternate called to action when Sunny Garcia (HAW), 39, failed to show for his Round 1 heat. Despite arriving late to the lineup, Meister put in an inspired performance in both the Backdoor rights and the Pipeline lefts to net a 16.83 out of a possible 20 to overtake Nic Muscroft (AUS), 27.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what happened,\u201d Meister said. \u201cI expected Sunny (Garcia) to turn up and I was sitting on the beach getting tired watching the waves. It was firing and I couldn\u2019t get too antsy because I didn\u2019t know if I was going to get into the event, but I\u2019m happy that I did. I guess it\u2019s kind of an advantage to get in this way, because I didn\u2019t have time to get nervous before my heat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meister will face current ASP World No. 16, Kai Otton (AUS), 29, in the first heat when competition resumes.<\/p>\n
Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 6:30am to assess conditions for a possible 8am start.<\/p>\n
The Billabong Pipeline Masters will be webcast LIVE via www.billabongpro.com and www.triplecrownofsurfing.com<\/p>\n
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com <\/p>\n
BILLABONG PIPELINE MASTERS ROUND 1 RESULTS: <\/p>\n
Heat 1: Gavin Gillette (HAW) 15.50 def. Jihad Khodr (BRA) 11.33<\/p>\n
Heat 2: Gabe Kling (USA) 11.17 def. Kalani Chapman (HAW) 10.17<\/p>\n
Heat 3: Andy Irons (HAW) 12.42 def. Marcus Hickman (HAW) 10.17<\/p>\n
Heat 4: Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 13.17 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 12.96<\/p>\n
Heat 5: Liam McNamara (HAW) 7.67 def. Nathaniel Curran (USA) 7.34<\/p>\n
Heat 6: Hank Gaskell (HAW) 12.00 def. David Weare (ZAF) 8.73<\/p>\n
Heat 7: Bruce Irons (HAW) 12.34 def. Reef McIntosh (HAW) 11.66<\/p>\n
Heat 8: Torrey Meister (HAW) 16.83 def. Nic Muscroft (AUS) 8.90<\/p>\n
Heat 9: Michael Picon (FRA) 10.50 def. Manoa Drollet (PYF) 9.93<\/p>\n
Heat 10: Shane Dorian (HAW) 16.67 def. Kamalei Alexander (HAW) 7.73<\/p>\n
Heat 11: Dayyan Neve (AUS) 13.43 def. Jonah Morgan (HAW) 6.84<\/p>\n
Heat 12: Flynn Novak (HAW) 16.40 def. Luke Stedman (AUS) 12.34<\/p>\n
Heat 13: Sion Miloski (HAW) 17.00 def. Dustin Barca (HAW) 14.03<\/p>\n
Heat 14: John John Florence (HAW) 17.20 def. Danny Fuller (HAW) 11.33<\/p>\n
Heat 15: Mason Ho (HAW) 15.83 def. Jay Thompson (AUS) 9.50<\/p>\n
Heat 16: Phillip MacDonald (AUS) 12.66 def. Jamie O\u2019Brien (HAW) 10.33<\/p>\n
BILLABONG PIPELINE MASTERS ROUND 2 RESULTS: <\/p>\n
Heat 1: Liam McNamara (HAW) 7.94 def. Chris Davidson (AUS) 6.83<\/p>\n
Heat 2: Roy Powers (HAW) 10.26 def. Gabe Kling (USA) 10.06<\/p>\n
Heat 3: Phillip MacDonald (AUS) 10.40 def. Greg Emslie (ZAF) 3.83<\/p>\n
Heat 4: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 12.00 def. Mason Ho (HAW) 10.67<\/p>\n
Heat 5: Bruce Irons (HAW) 15.67 def. Tim Reyes (USA) 13.93<\/p>\n
Heat 6: Shane Dorian (HAW) 11.17 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 8.33<\/p>\n
Heat 7: Michael Picon (FRA) 19.76 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 16.73<\/p>\n
REMAINING BILLABONG PIPELINE MASTERS ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:<\/p>\n
Heat 8: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Torrey Meister (HAW)<\/p>\n
Heat 9: Dean Morrison (AUS) vs. Sion Milosky (HAW)<\/p>\n
Heat 10: Chris Ward (USA) vs. Aritz Aranburu (EUK)<\/p>\n
Heat 11: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Flynn Novak (HAW)<\/p>\n
Heat 12: Heitor Alves (BRA) vs. John John Florence (HAW)<\/p>\n
Heat 13: Mick Campbell (AUS) vs. Gavin Gillette (HAW)<\/p>\n
Heat 14: Tim Boal (FRA) vs. Dayyan Neve (AUS)<\/p>\n
Heat 15: Ben Dunn (AUS) vs. Hank Gaskell (HAW)<\/p>\n
Heat 16: Drew Courtney (AUS) Andy Irons (HAW)<\/p>\n
BILLABONG PIPELINE MASTERS ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS: <\/p>\n
Heat 1: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. TBA<\/p>\n
Heat 2: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. TBA<\/p>\n
Heat 3: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. TBA<\/p>\n
Heat 4: Bobby Martinez (USA) vs. TBA<\/p>\n
Heat 5: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. TBA<\/p>\n
Heat 6: Tom Whitaker (AUS) vs. TBA<\/p>\n
Heat 7: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) vs. TBA<\/p>\n
Heat 8: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. TBA<\/p>\n
Heat 9: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. TBA<\/p>\n
Heat 10: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. TBA<\/p>\n
Heat 11: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. TBA<\/p>\n
Heat 12: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. TBA<\/p>\n
Heat 13: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. TBA<\/p>\n
Heat 14: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. TBA<\/p>\n
Heat 15: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. TBA<\/p>\n
Heat 16: Dane Reynolds (USA) vs. TBA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Billabong Pipeline Masters Stop No. 10 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour Pipeline, Oahu\/Hawaii December 8 – 20, 2009 World\u2019s Best Unleash Upon Pipeline for Day 1 Billabong Pipeline Masters Pictured: Andy Irons (HAW), 31, former three-time ASP World Champion and former four-time Pipe Masters Champion, saw a welcomed returned to form today … Continue reading “World\u2019s Best Unleash Upon Pipeline for Day 1 Billabong Pipeline Masters”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[24],"class_list":["post-13809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-asp-surfing-news","tag-surfing-news-archive"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13809"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13809\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}