Irons’ Rivals Get a Boost

Before the Boost Mobile Pro surf contest began last week at Lower Trestles in San Clemente, there was little drama at the top of the World Championship Tour point standings.

Andy Irons of Hawaii, the tour’s two-time defending champion, began the event with a four-digit lead, thanks to top-five finishes at the previous six stops.

But Irons was among the first eliminated here, and his 33rd-place finish left the door open for those in pursuit. Joel Parkinson of Australia, No. 4 on the tour, and Kelly Slater of Florida, No. 3, made the most of the opportunity, advancing to the final round, where Parkinson held on Monday for a 15.17-13.63 victory.

“When Andy went down early, I think we all realized if we’re ever going to catch him on the points, it’s going to have to be at this event,” said Parkinson, who would be closer to the standings lead had he not missed two events because of the birth of his daughter.

Irons started the competition with a 1,104-point lead over C.J. Hobgood of Satellite Beach, Fla., who finished tied for fifth. With four events remaining, that lead has shrunk to 660 points. Parkinson, 23, and Slater, 32, cut their deficits in half and arewithin 200 points of Hobgood.

“It’s good for surfing,” said Slater, who had his best finish of the year. “It’s tightening it all up.”

Parkinson, who produced two of the three best heat scores during the five-day contest, advanced to his first final at Lower Trestles by knocking off fellow Australian Luke Egan, 16.16-13.84, in a semifinal earlier Monday. Slater, a six-time world champion who has not won a title since 1998, defeated former San Clemente resident Cory Lopez in the other semifinal, 17.77-14.24.

Parkinson produced an early wave score of 8.00 in the 35-minute final and quickly backed it up with a 7.17. Slater scored an 8.40 with about 20 minutes remaining and needed only a score of 6.77 to take the lead, but he couldn’t find the left he was looking for and fell on his only good scoring opportunity with about five minutes left.

“That probably would have done it for me,” he said.

Parkinson, however, wasn’t about to celebrate until the final horn sounded.

“I was kind of waiting for him to deliver his fatal blow, but it never happened,” Parkinson said. “You can never underestimate Kelly. It feels good to beat him, though.”