Oahu, Hawaii - Tahiti’s Michel Bourez won the Billabong Pipe Masters after beating American Kanoa Igarashi in the final, while Durban’s Jordy Smith lost out to Igarashi in the quarters.
The quarter-final result put Smith into runner-up spot in the rankings behind world champion John John Florence of Hawaii. Igarashi and Smith’s quarter-final heat saw a Backdoor shoot-out as both surfers escaped massive barrels.
Igarashi weaved his way through an incredible tube to earn a near-perfect 9.93 and an excellent 8.10. Smith was close behind with a 7.57 and 8.17, but fell short of advancing to the semi-finals.
“We come here to get barrelled and that is what happened,” Smith said.
“He (Igarashi) just got more barrelled than I did. I think it just came down to that one last score. I gave him that wave on the inside that apparently just kept funnelling across.
“The wave looked very small to me when I paddled in, but apparently he got nice and deep. To be honest, all around it has been an amazing year for me. This time last year I did not expect to be here and I just came fresh off an injury. To finish in second is amazing."
The victory was the third Championship Tour (CT) victory of the Tahitian’s career, helping Bourez finish the season in sixth place in the world rankings.
“I still don’t believe it,” said Bourez.
“I’m just happy to be here. Last year I got injured and it was really tricky and tough for me to come back.
“I almost dropped off tour. I worked really hard at home and tried to stay positive the whole time.
“I had my baby after Portugal, so I had to travel back and forth during Europe, which was tough. This is huge for me.
“We had such a good day today - Backdoor was pumping and I’m stoked. This is the biggest event to win for a surfer and I did it!”
The final saw slower conditions but a dramatic finish, as Bourez took the win over Igarashi by only 1.36 points.
In his first Pipe Masters appearance, Igarashi has set the bar for the 2017 rookies. At 19, Igarashi is the youngest competitor on the CT and made a splash this season.
Today’s runner-up finish marks Igarashi’s best result this year after a run of 13th place finish. He took down 11-time world champion Kelly Slater (USA) and Smith (SA) on his way to the final.
Slater, the most dominant surfer in this event with seven Pipe Masters titles, will end the season in seventh place in the rankings.
Current world champion Florence was eliminated by Bourez in the quarter-finals and also capped off his year by winning the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing for the third time in his career.