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Andy Irons put on a great display of innovative and stylish surfing in front of a large close to the action low tide beach crowd. Irons posted two excellent scores to defeat local wildcard Luke Munro and advance to round four.
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Quiksilver Pro presented by Boost Mobile
Roxy Pro presented by Boost Mobile
Snapper Rocks, Gold Coast
March 1st to 13th
CATCH IT LIVE ON:
www.quiksilver.com;
www.roxy.com;
www.aspworldtour.com
Irons Brothers Showdown In Round 4 Tomorrow
Monday, March 07, 2005 (Snapper Rocks, Queensland, Australia): IT will
be a case of two Irons in the fire when reigning three-times world
champion Andy Irons and his talented younger brother Bruce clash in a
hotly anticipated fourth round encounter at the Quiksilver Pro Presented
by Boost Mobile at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast.
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The 'Superbank' going off on day seven of the Quiksilver Pro presented by Boost Mobile.
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Stoking the surfing cauldron that is the season-opening Foster's
Men's World Championship Tour event, the Irons siblings were in
white-hot form today to blitz their third round opponents and move an
ominous step closer towards the final.
It will be only the third time the fiercely competitive Hawaiian
brothers have met on the WCT, with the winning tally dead even at one
apiece.
Bruce, 25, beat Andy, 26, in a heat of the Boost Mobile Pro Presented
by Quiksilver at Trestles in California in 2003 before Andy levelled the
score in an epic final of the Quiksilver Pro at Hossegor, France, last
year in booming 3m waves.
Bruce and Andy easily accounted for Taylor Knox (USA) and local
wildcard Luke Munro (Aus) today in their respective round three heats to
set up the sibling showdown likely to take place tomorrow.
The triple world champion was brutal in his demolition of Munro,
top-scoring for the day with 18.07 points out of a possible 20 and
leaving his opponent in need of a two-wave scoring combination.
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Trent Munro dispatched fellow Aussie Danny Wills in round three of the Quiksilver Pro.
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Bruce also 'comboed' Knox to set the scene for a titanic clash with
his elder brother.
"He got one on me at Trestles and I beat him in France so this will
be the tie-breaker," Andy said. "I'm going to enjoy every
second of it - me and my brother out at Snapper, it should be
awesome."
Bruce commented: "It'll be good (taking on Andy) but I'd rather
be facing Luke (Munro)."
Mick Fanning (Aus) continued his impressive comeback from injury with a
crushing victory over veteran former world champion Sunny Garcia (Haw).
Fanning, who missed most of last season after tearing his hamstring
from the bone in a horror wipeout in Indonesia, is back on the WCT
thanks to an ASP injury wildcard.
He showed he is back to his potent best with a devastating display of
speed surfing at his home break. Fanning scored 17.77 points to leave
Garcia in his wake on 5.67 points, in need of a two-wave scoring
combination.
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ASP WCT rookie Fred Patacchia halted the run of ASP world number five Luke Egan in the first heat of round three of the Quiksilver Pro today.
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"I've got heaps of respect for Sunny - ever since I was a kid, I
just loved his surfing," Fanning said.
"Lucky for me he didn't to get any really good ones. It's just
good to be surfing again and good to get another heat out of the
way."
But Fanning, the only 'Coolangatta Kid' not to have won the
Quiksilver Pro, was not getting too far ahead of himself in his quest to
have his name inscribed alongside good mates Joel Parkinson and Dean
Morrison on the championship trophy.
"It's always good to win, especially at home, but I'm just going
out there and taking it heat by heat," said Fanning, who now meets
Damien Hobgood (USA) in Round 4.
Hobgood and identical twin C.J proved double trouble for their third
round opponents, Damien easily accounting for former World No.2 Shane
Beschen (USA) and C.J doing likewise against South African tour debutant Travis Logie.
"I was super-stoked top get a couple of waves but man, it was bad out
there," C.J Hobgood observed of the tricky conditions.
"I'm stoked to get through though - I hate to lose - but there's
just not many good waves."
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After beating Bede Durbidge in round three Kelly Slater finds himself up against Richard Lovett in round four.
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Hawaiian rookie Fred Patacchia caused a boil-over in the first heat of
the day when he took down World No.5, tour veteran and Gold Coast local
Luke Egan.
"I'm psyched, this is my first CT event and I'm in the round
before the quarters and I'm just really amped - stoked to be
here," enthused 23-year-old Patacchia, a new-generation
Hawaiian pro who qualified for this year's WCT in 40th place.
"It was really nerve-wracking - Egan surf's really well but there
just wasn't that many waves and I just got the better ones."
In other results, 2002 Quiksilver Pro champion Joel Parkinson continued
his campaign to win dual titles with a comfortable win over Brazil's
Victor Ribas.
Six-time world champion Kelly Slater (USA) was forced to dig deep to
defeat local hero, WCT rookie Bede Durbidge (Aus), who was cheered on by
a parochial home crowd packing the beach and Snapper Rocks Surf Club
sundeck.
Slater unleashed a gravity-defying floater on one wave on his way to a
17.53 to 14.20-point victory over Durbidge.
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Phillip MacDonald surged past Neco Padaratz to advance to round four of the Quiksilver Pro today.
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Competition is expected to climax in the US$270,000 tournament tomorrow
with $30,000 up for grabs for the winner and an all-important early
ratings lead in the race for the 2005 world title. The surf forecast is
excellent with a three-to-foot southerly swell and offshore winds
prevailing.
Bruce Irons still holds the lead in the "Evian Longest Tuberide"
specialty award for locking into the longest barrel of the event thus
far, a seven second tube ride that earned him an 8.83 and the
front-running for the $5,000 bonus Evian cheque.
The Quiksilver Pro presented by Boost Mobile is proudly supported by
the Gold Coast City Council. In 2004 the tournament(s) was awarded Gold
Coast Sporting Event of the Year.
Quiksilver Pro presented by Boost Mobile
Rnd 3 results (1st>Rnd 4, 2nd=17th, 410 pts, $US4,500):
H1: Frederick Patacchia (HAW) 14.26 def Luke Egan (AUS) 11.77
H2: Trent Munro (Aus) 14.94 def Dan Wills (Aus) 9.10
H3: Phil MacDonald (Aus) 12.70 def Neco Padaratz (BRA) 9.46
H4: CJ Hobgood (USA) 15.43 Travis Logie (ZAF) 7.36
H5: Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.77 def Sunny Garcia (HAW) 5.67
H6: Damien Hobgood (USA) 14.74 def Shane Beschen (USA) 9.00
H7: Bruce Irons (Haw) 16.50 def Taylor Knox (USA) 8.60
H8: Andy Irons (HAW) 18.07 def Luke Munro (AUS) 9.34
H9: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 15.54 def Victor Ribas (BRZ) 11.40
H10: Tom Whittaker (AUS) 14.00 def Darren O'Rafferty (Aus) 7.30
H11: Nathan Hedge (AUS) 14.20 def Greg Emslie (ZAF) 13.56
H12: Mark Occhilupo (AUS) Marcelo Nunes (BRA)
H13: Kelly Slater (USA) 17.53 def Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.20
H14: Richard Lovett (Aus) 14.27 def Dean Morrison (AUS) 13.40
H15: Taj Burrow (AUS) v Chris Ward (USA)
H16: Michael Lowe (AUS) v Troy Brooks (AUS)
Quiksilver Pro presented by Boost Mobile
Upcoming Rnd 4 heats (1st>1/4 finals, 2nd= 9th, 600pts, US$5,300)
H1: Fred Patacchia (HAW) v Trent Munro (AUS)
H2: Phil MacDonald (AUS) v C.J. Hobgood (USA)
H3: Mick Fanning (AUS) v Damien Hobgood (USA)
H4: Bruce Irons (HAW) v Andy Irons (HAW)
H5: Joel Parkinson (AUS) v Tom Whittaker (AUS)
H6: Nathan Hedge (AUS) v Mark Occhilupo (AUS)
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