Part 5 - Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour 2009 - Whangamata
Extended highlights of the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour 2009 takes us to Whangamata for Round 5.
Gisborne surfer Michael Burling (25) won the fifth event of the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour completed at Whangamata today (Sunday 15th March) to become a major tour-title threat with only one event remaining.
The surf at Whangamata remained under 1.0m for the final day with onshore winds making life difficult for New Zealand’s best longboarders. The Whangamata event was a five star rated event with $4,500 in prize money and additional rating points for the competing surfers.
Burling placed second at the previous two events held at Sandy Bay and Christchurch but today took the honours scoring 15.95 out of a possible 20 with his powerful approach to the waves.
“I was lucky to find the waves out there. It got better and better throughout the day but was still pretty small and messy to surf at your best” commented Burling.
Due to his Tongan descent, Burling is ineligible to surf in the National Champs which makes up one of the six events on the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour. Despite this handicap he sits in third place on the ratings and is now positioned extremely well to make a full on assault for the Tour title.
“The title race is realistically down to three surfers now and I am sitting in third place so I am looking forward to the final event and going for the title. I am super happy to be part of the title race” commented Burling. “If I win the event then I win the Tour so the equation is simple for me.”
Burling out pointed the two surfers that lead him on the ratings – Daniel Proctor (Gis) and Thomas Kibblewhite (Auck) in the final. Proctor placed second today and remains in second place on the ratings. Proctor made a late charge for the lead in the final with two brilliantly ridden lefthanders. The waves included hang tens and searing cutbacks to score 7.8 and 7.3 respectively but they fell just short of Burling’s big scores.
Current ratings leader going into the event, Thomas Kibblewhite (Auck), placed third today and held on to his number one position. The final never went Kibblewhite’s way despite his good 12.75 heat total.
Kibblewhite leads the ratings but having contested all five events to date this year he is at a disadvantage to second and third placed Proctor and Burling who who have only contested four events.
Each surfers best five results on the 2009 Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour count toward their ratings total therefore Kibblewhite goes into the final event having to drop one result while Proctor and Burling do not.
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