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IRONS WILL
Andy Irons wins Honda US Open of Surfing
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The final day of the Honda US Open of Surfing has come and the weather has agreed to be great for one last day. It's hard to determine if the surf is any better than yesterday but the beach is already littered with beachgoers here for the annual finale of the US Open.
By 9:15 am every telephoto lens in Huntington Beach is down at water's edge closely monitoring every paddle stroke. The two to three-footers are beginning to look better, but hardly the best representation of California wave quality at the world's biggest surf contest.
For the spectators onshore, the lack of surf is made up by the appearance of the surfers themselves -- their heroes are here surfing the same waves they paddle into everyday, as if Jordan showed up ion the neighborhood court.
Even current WQS number three and 2004 Lost Pro Junior champ, Adriano DeSouza of Brazil is excited to see his hero Rob Machado, "I love watching Rob surf and have been following him all week, now I get to surf against him in the Semis," he beams.
The noonday sun is peaking and the contest takes a little breather for the Life Rolls On expression session and Tim Curran is launching some impossibly high airs in the soft surf warming the crowd for the semis. The energy level on the beach is rising with every boost by Curran, allowing the normally autograph-hounded Irons to slip into the water with hardly a crowd.
The wind is just beginning to pick up as Andy and Frenchman Mikael Picon hit the water for semi one. In just 15 minutes the crowd on the shore and along the pier is at capacity, with prime beach seating beneath the giant world record surfboard. Picon attacks the soft peaks, but can't stop the Irons train headed for the final.
Machado and DeSouza follow and both look determined to reach the final, surfing fast and loose through the sectiony, low tide peaks. Machado is the clear favorite, eliciting hoots from the beach with every snap and patiently edges out the rising Brazilian riding only three waves. And while DeSouza's run ends here, his 'QS rating is boosted into 2nd and into the magic 7,000 pt range of WCT qualification. The Brazilain grom, needless to say, is stoked.
After the two US Open semis finish, Hawaiians Hank Gaskell and Dustin Cuizon paddle into some of the best sets of the day for the Lost Pro Junior final. Cuizon surfs solidly as blue and white striped Honda beach balls pop like popcorn all over the beach. It looks like Cuizon has it in the bag in the dying seconds, but Gaskell strokes into a mediocre looking bump, drives into a tight corner and blasts a single vertical gaff that puts him .8 points over Cuizon. "I was getting really nervous, hoping another wave would come," said Gaskell. "I got really lucky. Dustin is a really good competitor."
The final of the day arrives and the contest's two biggest names -- and former US Open winners -- have the entire beach on its feet. Machado and Irons take their winning places in the lineup, Rob as far south as he can get and A.I. square in the center.
The pair trade waves with Irons getting the upper hand negating a good ride by Machado through priority. Irons strokes into another long left laying down some conservative scores and leaves Rob needing a 7.77 to take the lead.
With the upper hand, A.I. beelines for Machado with five minutes remaining. The new Surfline HB Buoy is showing a small set approaching in the dying seconds and the last chance for Machado. with 15 seconds left, the set isn't a fluke, and Machado is up and riding. The beach, definitely behind the Californian, cheers his every turn all the way to the beach. But alas, it was not to be.
Andy strokes in behind Rob's wave, more likely to preoccupy his nerves than nab one more score. And as both finally hit the sand and Fig drops the score: it's a 7.3 -- he needed a 7.7 to win.
"That was so heavy, I can't believe that wave came in," says a shocked and definitely relieved Irons, who narrowly dodges another last-second bullet from the momentum generation.
Honda Mens US Open o
f Surfing Presented by O'Neill
1. Andy Irons HAW
2. Rob Machado USA
Lost Pro Junior
1. Hank Gaskell HAW
2. Dustin Cuizon HAW
****
And for those just joining us, here's what went down last week: Belo, Gudauskas and Reynolds set the pace on Day One, while Machado, Perrow and Randazzo advanced on Day Two, Brett Simpson downed former champ Taj Burrow on Day Three, and Layne Beachley dominated Day Four.
Oh, and the World record for the most surfers ever on one board.
And Julia Christian won the women's division of the US Open of Surfing on Saturday, while Joel Tudor won the O'Neill US Open of Longboarding and Nikkita Robb won the Target Women's Junior Pro.
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Mike Howrigan
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