Sitting tied for 6th and only a dozen or so points away from 4th – after the first two events – wouldn’t be much to worry about on a normal year on the WCT. It was pretty clear coming into 2008 that this would be anything but a normal year and this years ‘CT has lived up to every bit of hype that had been bestowed upon it. Kelly Slater has apparently decided to go Tiger Woods on us, and that has left many wondering where the hopes of Andy Irons reclaiming the throne for himself and Hawaii sit after Snapper and Bells.

Although he has been at times slightly inconsistent, the only person to eliminate A.I. this year has been Slater. With the level that Kelly is currently performing on, that really isn’t much to be ashamed about. Yet at some point in the very near future Andy is going to have to start coming out on top of these match-ups if he wants to stay in contention. The best 9-of-11 format gives him an opportunity to hopefully replace one of those quarterfinal losses with a better scoring result. He’s going to need every single point he can pick up with Kelly, Bede Durbidge, Mick Fanning, and all of the other contenders showing no signs of slowing down.

Andy has his sights squarely set on going big in the upcoming Billabong Pro Tahiti, that will be held in May. He rides Teahupoo probably as well as any regular-footer alive, and a win here would have him right near the very top once again. And that is exactly is where Andy Irons loves to be.

andy ironswct

Tags: Andy Irons, WCT

Posted by Shaun on Sunday, April 6th, 2008 in Surfing.

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