It was third times a charm for Kelly Slater this week as he beat Owen Wright at the Hurley Pro, taking home his 48^th world tour win. This was the third time Slater faced Wright in the finals this year; first when Slater took home victory at the Billabong Pro Tahiti and second at the Quicksilver Pro New York when Wright won, putting him in the eyes of Slater as the man to beat.

Going into the Hurley Pro positioned as number one on the tour, Slater’s victory only puts him closer to winning an 11^th world title. Seeing as though nothing is impossible in Slater’s world I’m willing to bet it can happen.

The final heat ended in a dramatic victory when Slater edged out Wright with a score of 17.50 to 16.74 in the last minute.  With the heat just about to be over, a set rolled in.  Slater let Wright take the first wave of the set.  Wright needed an 8.31 to take over the lead and succeeded with a score of an 8.87.  Typical Slater rose to the challenge and on the second wave of the set he scored himself a 9.0, grasping the win and prize money of $105,000.  Wright spoke of the dramatic ending to what seems to be just one event in the continuous battle between the two surfers:

“I’ve been enjoying the rivalry,” Wright said. “We’ve had some great heats and the last three finals have been great. I’m glad the sets came through at the end. It was a bit of a dud final but I’m glad that last exchange came though at the end. It made it exciting.”

Both surfers had nothing but good things to say about the other after the heat. “Owen (Wright) is tough and he’s been surfing great,” Slater said. “There really are no weak points to his surfing and he’s going to be a standout in every spot. A lot of the guys tried to get him this week and I got lucky in that last exchange. I was taking the first wave of the set under his priority and once I got priority I wanted to wait. It almost looked like there wasn’t a wave after Owen’s. It’s been fun surfing against Owen and surfing Lowers. It’s been a great week and thanks everyone for the crazy support, it’s been wonderful.”

After the Hurley Pro the rankings are (top 10):

For more results check out the ASP Tour Page.

The next stop on the 2011 tour is the Quiksilver Pro France from October 4-13^th.  Check out the event page and look for more possible Slater/Wright face-ups.

-Kathryn

You may have noticed the recent Surfline feature on the history, bathymetry and mechanics of the monster wave known as Teahupo’o in Tahiti. Buzz surrounding the wave is mounting as the Billabong Pro Tahiti draws near (Aug 20 is the estimated starting date). Scheduled to surf are the world’s top surf stars like, Kelly Slater, Taj Burrow, Jordy Smith, and Mick Fanning. But, a number of wildcards and locals will also be hungry to take the title. Since Teahupo’o is a notoriously heavy barrel, experience at this break may triumph over ability to pull technical maneuvers.

Teahupo’o is one of the most difficult waves to surf in the world, and the pronunciation of its name is somewhat proportional. Most pronounce the Tahitian name “cho-puu” often shortened to Chopes. Personally I’m not going to worry too much about how to say it, because the chances of me surfing there are almost zero (the chances that I would survive surfing there to pronounce the name are even lower). However, for the brave souls who do decide to surf massive Chopes, the reward can be glory, and unbelievable footage for the rest of us. Hopefully the contest will provide as much action as the wave has to offer, without too many painful wipeouts!

Check out this video of Laird Hamilton’s Historic tow-in at Teahupo’o

Will Dane Reynolds show up to this contest after opting out of J-Bay?

What do you think of Bobby Martinez’s decision to quit the tour?

Will anyone ever get a heavier barrel than Laird Hamilton’s 1999 “Oh-my-God” wave in 2000?

Drop a comment on our Facebook and let us know who you think will win this year!

Shakas

-Jason