What a shock result to event number 6 of 11 on the 2008 ASP World Tour. Andy's brother Bruce Irons (HAW) defeated fellow Hawaiian Fredrick Patacchia in the final of the 2008 Rip Curl Pro Search, to claim his first Dream Tour win and push him into the world top ten. Bruce plans to retire from the Dream Tour at the end of this season, though he still intends competing at Pipeline and Teahupoo, plus any other venues that he can get into.
The 2008 Rip Curl Pro Search, held in rifling 1.5 metre lefthanders 'somewhere' in Indonesia, concluded in a marathon day of action that was capped off with an absolutely stunning barrel shootout between the young Hawaiian friends.
Patacchia had been in stunning form throughout the event, netting high scores and eliminating several top seeds. He suffered an injury at the beginning of the season but has since returned to finish equal 9th in Fiji and Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, before securing this runner-up position in Indonesia, putting him at 14 on the ASP World Tour.
Once again, the majority of top seeds on the Dream Tour suffered early elimination, so despite his defeat, current ratings leader Kelly Slater (USA) maintains a healthy lead on this year's ASP World Title race as they head to the next stop on the tour, which will be the Boost Mobile Pro presented by Hurley at Lower Trestles, California from September 7-13, 2008.
Labels: 2008, ASP World Tour, Bruce Irons, Indonesia, surfing
